In Truman Capote's novel In Cold Blood, he recounts the gruesome murder of a well respected Kansas family. The Clutter's lived in the small town of Holcomb where Herbert W. Clutter was a successful farmer. He was known for being an honest and fair man with ... background of the killers which allows the reader to understand how they evolved into murderers. Richard Hickock and Perry Smith both suffered from mental illness caused by their pasts; although they were guilty of the crime, putting them to death was unjust because of their mental health and because they were deprived of ... 't effecti...

• Word Count: 2417
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... would not have been sitting there if he had the money to buy a better lawyer, which is an all to common occurrence and injustice in the US judicial system. Instead he was appointed a lawyer given to him by the state who had never preformed a murder trial before. Sister Prejeans character was really incredible, as she took allot of flak from the victims ... is much more important than the prior criminal record of the defendant or the actual circumstances of crime. The death penalty is by far the most severe of all sentences. It has been banned in many countries around the world, but in t...

• Word Count: 2281
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School