Category: Criminals in Society

Essay on Jim Jones and Ted Bundy

Criminals tend to view all information before committing a crime. Therefore, because they believe that the risk does not outweigh the rewards of said crime, they go through with it. In criminology, we call this Rational Choice Theory. “The view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits, is known as Trait Theory” (MindTap, Chapter 5). “This theory can then be subdivided into 2 important categories: 1) Those that stress biological makeup and 2) Those that stress psychological functioning” (MindTap, Chapter 5). These two theories give insight into the varied reasons why people commit crimes. The documentary, Crazy Not Insane, shows a variety of cases in which these theories can be applied. Some of these cases involved people like Arthur J. Shawcross, Max, Sam Jones, and Theodore “Ted” Bundy. There is a common theme among the cases shown in the documentary. Abuse and violence contributed heavily to the acts that were committed hurting them. The documentary shows viewers how both Rational Choice and Trait Theories apply to these high-profile cases.

Rational Choice Theory explains that criminals think rationally or calculate crime before choosing to go through with it. The theory gives a better look into why criminals choose to commit crimes. Criminals evaluate the risks of the crime by weighing risk and reward. They will commit a crime if the reward outweighs the risk. Rational choice theory contains roots in classical criminology which was “developed by Italian social thinker, Cesare Beccaria” (MindTap, Chapter 4). Cesare’s practicality has lasted for more than 100 years and has had a great influence on the criminal justice system.“The theory’s main explanation of crime states that if risks outweigh the rewards, criminal behaviors can be controlled” (MindTap, Chapter 4). For example, fear of the consequences of punishment or damaged reputations because of crime, can deter criminals” (MindTap, Chapter 4-2a). This is where the basic principles of the theory come into play. Criminals are “decision-makers who spend time calculating profit and risk” (MindTap, Chapter 4-3e). If they think they can get away with illegal behaviors because the rewards outweigh the risks, they will. Two examples of theories that developed from rational choice theory are offense and offender-specific crime. Offense-specific is when an “offender reacts to characteristics of a criminal act” (MindTap, Chapter 4-2b), like the value of a target. Offender specific is “offenders evaluate their skills, motives, needs, fears before committing a crime” (MindTap, Chapter 4-2b).

Contrary to rational choice theory, trait theory states that “criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits” (MindTap, Chapter 5). Modern trait theorists find that crime is committed when both “interactions of personal traits and environmental factors are involved” (MindTap, Chapter 5-2a). The theory explains how people have different traits that can influence criminal behavior. For example, if someone has a parent who is involved in criminal acts, the child is more likely to commit a crime later in life. The major theorist of trait theory was “Italian physician and criminologist, Cesare Lombroso” (MindTap, Chapter 5-1). “Lombroso and his colleagues conducted the first “scientific” studies of crime” (MindTap, Chapter 5-1). His explanation of crime was that biological causes could result from an environment or upbringing. Lombroso focused just on biological factors and crime rather than both biological and psychological factors. Therefore, Lombroso and his colleague’s efforts were “regarded as historical curiosities, not scientific fact” (MindTap, Chapter 5-1). The basic principle of trait theory can be broken down into two categories. The first is things “that stress one’s biological makeup and the second are things that stress one’s psychological functioning” (MindTap, Chapter 5-1). As a result, this makes a direct link between a person’s traits and crime. Id, ego, and superego are three examples of theories that developed from trait theory. “It is a person’s unconscious biological drives, ego is what controls the id, and superego is like the “ saying ”no you cannot do that” (MindTap, Chapter 5-4a). Without ego and superego, a person would only rely on their id like in the Shawcross case mentioned in the documentary. Attachment theory is another theory developed from trait theory. It is the “ability to form an emotional bond with another person” (MindTap, Chapter 5-4a). In the documentary, Bundy was neglected by his family, so he did not have that emotional bond, which contributed to his actions.

The difference between the two theories is that rational choice theory looks at how criminals consider the risk and reward of crimes. Criminals think about the value of their target and whether the reward is worth the risk or not. They also evaluate their skills, needs, and fears before committing a crime. Trait theory looks at how biological and psychological traits influence a person to commit a crime. A criminal’s impulse to murder or rape is done by rational thinking. It is also influenced by personal characteristics like biochemical makeup and genetic code and by one’s social environment. For example, abusive or neglecting parents, peers, schools, and the neighborhood that a person lives in can contribute to criminal behavior. The difference between rational choice and trait theory is that rational choice theory explains that criminals think about risk and reward before committing. Trait theory explains that a person’s rationality is not present therefore they cannot control their behavior based on their own biological and psychological factors.

The first case of the documentary tells the story of Arthur J. Shawcross. He killed eleven women in the Rochester, New York area. In 1987 he was released on parole after serving fifteen years for murdering two children. Shawcross had a temporal lobe cyst which triggered abnormal electrical activity causing animalistic behavior. Dr. Dorothy Lewis explained that “the cyst excited the limbic system and put it out of whack.” Shawcross also had scars on his frontal lobe. He suffered from a dissociative disorder where he would have a different identity. Bessie, his mother, is one of his different identities. Shawcross’s mother was an abusive and punishing person which turned Arthur into a seriously disturbed person at an early age. His mother’s abuse contributed to him creating an alternate identity within himself.

Trait theory explains the behaviors of the perpetrator because of the cyst in his temporal lobe, the scars on his frontal lobe, temporal lobe seizures, and his rough childhood with his abusive mother. Since his cyst affected his temporal lobe and he had scars in his frontal lobe, Shawcross produced animalistic behaviors. For example, in one part of the case, it was mentioned that Shawcross killed and ate a woman’s genitalia. He also experienced dissociative states, where he would hear his mother nagging him to kill his victims since they were not good enough for Arthur. Dr. Dorothy explained that he would murder his victim, wake up and say “Uh oh I did it again.” Trait theory would supply better treatment for people like Shawcross. Sending him to an institution to learn more about his condition and how to help him will work better than rational choice theory treatment. In this case, rational choice theory will guide ineffective punishment while trait theory guides effective punishment. This is because punishment through fear would not help Arthur’s situation and it might negatively trigger him.

The second case in the documentary was about Max. He was brought to the prison ward at Bellevue because it was the second time he tried to kill a lover. Due to his mother’s horrible treatment and torturing him as a child, he developed a multiple personality disorder. Kalki and Jabreel were the personalities living inside Max. Kalki was this strong, often cruel version of Max who committed the murders. Kalki was god-like in the way he spoke and acted, while Jabreel was this old Zen monk who served as a comforter for Max. In some of the interviews, he would hit himself and talk about suicide. He had some insight into what was going on inside of his mind but ultimately, he could not control himself.

Trait theory best explains the behaviors of Max. This is because during his childhood he was tortured by his mother in different ways. He was scratched by his mother’s long nails which she would dig into his skin. In one instance, Max broke something, and glass was scattered on the floor. His mother pushed him on the floor to clean it up, cutting his knees. As a result, he created two new identities, Kalki and Jabreel. An example of this multiple personality disorder is when Max met Robert De Niro. At first, Max seemed puzzled about who this man in front of him was; even though he had watched Taxi Driver, a movie that De Niro starred in. Dr. Lewis then tells Max to let Kalki talk to De Niro and at once Kalki comes out and says, “You were fantastic in Taxi Driver.” Like the Shawcross case trait theory would be able to guide effective treatment. Putting Max in an institution would help to understand what is wrong with him and how to cure him. Rational choice theory would guide more ineffective treatment. It also will guide ineffective punishment because like the previous case punishment through fear or jail time would either not do anything or trigger Max. Therefore, trait theory guides more effective treatment.

The third case was about Sam Jones, a traveling executioner paid by the state. Whenever an execution was scheduled to happen, Jones traveled to whatever state the execution was at and delivered the execution. At the time of the documentary, he had executed twenty men in Louisiana. Dr. Lewis explains that he has no insight into what the executions are doing to his brain. This is shown in the video when he tells Dr. Lewis that he does not care about killing anyone, man, woman, or child. Dr. Lewis also finds out that Jones comes from a very violent past where he got hit by his father. Jones also paints after the executions where he explains he feels nothing while painting. Each picture he drew looked increasingly psychotic and violent according to Dr. Lewis.

Both theories could be applied to explain Sam Jones’ behaviors. Jones is rational in the fact that he knows what execution is and is doing the job of his own free will. Yet he also does not know the psychological impacts of what each execution is doing to him. The drawings he drew are significant signs of the psychological effect the executions are having on him. At the same time, he is still rational in the sense that he does this job willingly. The theory that would provide the best treatment would be trait theory. Just like the previous cases, Jones can receive help from getting help instead of being put in prison or left the way he is now. The same applies to effective punishment. Trait theory would give the best punishment to make him realize that what he is doing is messing with his brain.

Ted Bundy is the last case of the documentary. Bundy was a sexual predator during the 1970s where he committed thirty homicides, all young women. After killing these women, he would then save their skulls in a collection. Bundy was born through a failed abortion attempt, and according to the documentary it is not supposed to be so good for a young child. His father was known as his grandfather and his mother was his sister. Growing up Bundy’s “father” was a disturbed man. He exposed Ted to pornography and pulp fiction comics that depicted sex and crime. Bundy also had a sexual encounter with one of his sisters and put kitchen knives around his aunt when she was in bed. Ted suffered from a dissociative disorder and he would switch to the entity, which is his grandfather Sam. The entity is the person who killed and committed all these violent acts. Bundy was executed on January 24th, 1989, in Starke, Florida.

Trait theory best explains the behaviors of Bundy. As a child he was exposed to porn and pulp fiction comics, he was abused by his grandfather, born because of a failed abortion attempt, and neglected by his family. All these things played into why Ted acted the way he did. Bundy also had a bipolar disorder where his highs were too high, and his lows were devastatingly low. The documentary states that maybe his grandmother’s depressive disorder had something to do with the way acted as well. This all contributed to his dissociative identity, the entity, that he said committed all the homicides. In his love letters to his wife, we can see the switch between the entity and Ted based on the handwriting. Trait theory would guide effective treatment. The reasoning behind that is supported based on what Dr. Lewis said in the documentary, that we could have learned and maybe cured what was going on in his brain. Trait theory would also guide effective punishment. This is true because even though Ted was competent enough to know what he did and what execution meant. He still could have been put in an institution to further increase our knowledge to help treat him effectively.

By applying both rational and trait theory one can understand why crimes are committed. Rational choice theory is when criminals weigh the risks and benefits of a crime, while trait theory is a view that criminality is influenced by biological or psychological traits. In the documentary, the application of these two theories is present in cases like Ted Bundy, Max, Shawcross, and Sam Jones. In each case the theme of abuse and different psychological problems are clear. The theories give insight into why these people committed crimes and how mainly trait theory influenced their actions.

References

1. Chapter 4, MindTap – Cengage Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https: ng.cengage.comstaticnbuievoindex.html?eISBN=9781337557726

Essay on ‘In Cold Blood’ Dialectical Journal

Activity 1: Timeline

1. Normal Day for the Clutter Family and the Killers – Nov 14, 1959

Truman Capote doesn’t waste anytime revealing the details of the story, giving it away by saying, “At the time, not a soul in sleeping Holcomb heard them—four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives. Everything was going well in the peaceful town of Holcomb, KA. Herbert Clutter was a farmer living the American Dream. He was well off, from his hard work and enjoying his success. His family was happy, until one day, they were murdered by Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Him and his wife, Bonnie, have four children together, two of which were not murdered, Eveanna, and Beverly. These were their older children. Eveanna had started her own family, and Beverly was attending medical school. Their other two children were Kenyon, 15, and Nancy, 16. Nancy was well known for her pleasant vibes and attitude. Kenyon liked to spend his free time playing with electronics. He is an aspiring engineer. The day before the murders begins with Mr. Clutter getting up to eat and start his day of work. Nancy is woken up by a phone call from her good friend Susan, which leads to a conversation about Nancy’s date with a boy named Bobby Rupp. Meanwhile. Dick Hickock picks up Perry Smith at a coffee shop in another city in Kansas. They are the murderers of this story.

2. Murders – Nov 15, 1959

Dick fully intends on making sure that there are no witnesses left alive to tell the police what was about to happen. Perry isn’t too sure if things will go according to plan, so he asks Dick, so they can buy face masks to conceal their identities. Perry tells Dick the story of how he once beat a black man to death with a bike chain, for no reason. Dick becomes obsessed with this story. This whole portion of text in the story, just tells the reader that Perry and Dick must have underlying mental health issues. Before heading to the Clutter household, they have dinner at a steak restaurant, then they head over to the gas station to buy cigars and tape. Perry is addicted to painkillers. When Perry goes to the washroom to take the painkillers, Dick begins to lose confidence in Perry’s ability to be a “true killer.” He believes the Perry is beginning to get cold feet about the crime they are about to commit. Drive to Holcomb, and enter the house during the middle of the night, while the family is asleep. When they went into the house and didn’t find the safe they were looking for, they restrained the family with the tape. They slit Mr. Clutters throat and shot him. They then proceeded to shoot Kenyon, Bonnie, and Nancy. They only got around $50 out of it.

3. Perry and Dick become Fugitives – Nov 15, 1959 – Dec 30, 1959

Susan, Mr. Ewalt, and his daughter, also named Nancy discovered that the Clutters had been murdered, when they called the house, and no one picked up. On Sundays, the two girls go to church with the Clutters. They drive over to the house and knock on the door. No one answers, so the girls decide to enter the home through the dining room window, and they find Nancy, lying there, dead. They don’t believe it. Mr. Ewalt calls an ambulance. Dick and Perry have fled to Mexico. Dick funded trip by paying with bad checks. These cheques are fake and are used by criminals to get things without paying for it.

4. Regret Stage

Perry is having trouble dealing with what he had done. He says, “There must be something wrong with us, to what we did.” (Capote 131). Perry also talks about a reoccurring dream he has, where he is attacked by a snake at a tree filled with diamonds, but then saved by a bird.

5. Police Investigation

Mr. Dewey, the lead investigator for the KBI begins to work on this case. His theory is that who ever committed the crime most likely had a relationship with them, because of the details of the crime scene, and the fact that there was no known motive. While conducting the investigation, there KBI figured that there was no way robbery could have been the motive of the crime, because the family didn’t carry cash on them. They find footprints in the basement, which is where Herb and Kenyon where killed. Nancy and Bonnie were found in a blanket. Nancy had a gold watch tucked into her boot, so they figured that perhaps she heard them entering the house, and tried to hide her valuables. We find out that Floyd Wells is the indirect cause of the crime. He used to work for the Clutter family, and he told Dick about the house. Floyd shared a cell with Dick in prison. This makes the motive obvious. Dick was looking for money when he came to the Clutter house. This is the first time that the reader gets an idea of the motive, as Capote doesn’t reveal it until now.

6. Funeral for the Clutter Family – Nov 17, 1959

Approximately thousand people from the community showed up at the funeral. Susan describes Nancy as being in a coffin with cotton wrapped around her face.

7. Harold Nye (KBI Assistants) finds Dick and Perry’s families homes

Harold visited Perry and Dick’s parents’ houses, and the pawn shops where Dick was pawning items that he had stolen previously. However, he didn’t pawn Kenyon’s missing radio. He also visited a hotel that the two stayed at previously. Perry keeps his diaries there. Nye also had a meeting with Perry’s sister. During that meeting, she reveals that even she is afraid of her brother, she still loves him very much and wants to see him turn around and change his life.

8. Perry and Dick are arrested – Dec 30, 1959

Dick and Perry were arrested in Los Vegas, California. The police knew the licence plate of the car they were driving, because it was stolen earlier in the book.

9. Interrogation & Confessions – Jan 2, 1960

The suspects are arrested by two other members of the KBI investigation unit, Roy Church and Harold Nye. They proceed to question them. The two men have been preparing for being arrested and have an alibi made up to cover their tracks. When asked about their whereabouts on the night when the crime was committed, Dick responded with the planned alibi saying that he stayed overnight with Perry and a couple prostitutes. Perry gets interviewed, and is unable to lie to the investigators, Perry fesses up, admitting that the alibi Dick gave wasn’t the truth. Dick then tries to avoid the blame by claiming that Perry was responsible for killing the family, not himself. When he is being escorted back to Kansas by Clarence Duntz and lead KBI investigator Alvin Dewey, he tells them the truth, confessing that he shot Mr. Clutter when he tried to get out of the tape that he was tied in. He shot Kenyon next. They still do not know who was accountable for killing Bonnie and Nancy.

10. Murder Trial – Mar 22, 1960 – Mar 29, 1960

During the trial, the accused were placed in jail to wait for their trial dates and such. Dick was put in general population at a city jail, and Perry was put inside a cell, located underneath the Deputy, Wendel Meier’s house. His wife Josie takes care of him, makes him food, and begins to form a relationship with him. Perry’s time was pleasant there. He befriended a squirrel that lives near the home. Floyd Wells provided a character testimony. He said that he didn’t think Floyd was capable of murdering anyone. He claims that prisoners often write checks that their mouths can’t cash. In this case, this is what Dick did. Perry admits to killing the whole family, so this means Dick did not shoot any shots. The evidence gathered from Dr. Jones’s evaluation is presented in court, and the results show that Perry likely has schizophrenia, and Dick has borderline personality disorder, and possible brain damage, due to a car accident that he was involved in before the events of this book took place. The defense team is unable to obtain concrete evidence to prove their clients’ innocence. They were only able to get a character testimony and show the evidence that their clients both had serious mental health issues. The prosecution put forth their evidence, both from the crime scene and confessions.

11. Perry admits that he needs mental help and emotional support

After a few psychiatrists have taken a brief look at the accused, they determine that both men have the mental aptitude necessary to be tried in court. Dick’s lawyer begins to search for another medical professional that can take a more thorough look at the mental states of Dick and Perry. Soon, they find a psychiatrist that is willing to help. His name is Mitchell Jones. He examines the two men for a couple hours each. His test involves the two men to writing about themselves, almost like an autobiography. Perry wrote about his rough upbringing, which involved his family abandoning him and being abused by the nuns he was raised by. Dick says that he has a hard time staying in control of his own actions, and impulsive behaviours. It appears as if Dick may have OCD. He thinks that this issue stems from the car accident that he got into before the events of this book took place. He also tells Dr. Jones that he tries to encourage little girls to have sex with him, and that he only went to the house to rape Nancy.

12. Verdict is passed – Mar 28, 1960

After 40 minutes of jury deliberation, they found Perry and Dick guilty on four first-degree murder charges. They were sentenced 5 years in prison, with the death penalty at the end of serving their sentence.

13. Three other convicts are introduced.

The two men are placed in death row in KSP (Kansas State Penitentiary), which is referred to as the “Corner” in the book. There, there are three other convicts awaiting their execution date.

Out of the three, Lowell Andrews stands out the most. Two years prior, he had murdered his whole family in cold blood. Psychiatrists diagnosed Mr. Andrews with schizophrenia, who then used that information to plead “not criminally responsible.” However, the judge felt that Mr. Andrews was unable to disprove the M’Naughten rule, which is a law, that presumes that every man is sane. To disprove this, the defense must prove that they did not have the mens rea at the time they committed the crime. The defense tried to prove Mr. Andrews’ innocence, but the judge didn’t accept it, and sentenced him to death. The other two convicts awaiting execution are soldiers named George York and James Latham. They were good people, but they became serial killers after they started to believe that the world had become filled with hate, anger, and malice.

14. 1st Scheduled Execution Date Passes – May 13, 1960

Postponed because of file for appeal.

15. Appeals to the Kansas Supreme Court – Jan 1, 1961 – Dec 31, 1963

Dick looks for a lawyer who can file an appeal for case, because he feels like the trial was not fair. His appeal request was denied, as the judge believes that the trial fair, and thus should not be appealed.

16. Andrew is Executed – November 20, 1962

Lowell Andrews is hanged. His heart continued to beat for 19 minutes after being hanged.

17. Perry and Dick are killed – Apr 15, 1965

After 3 years and two more appeal attempts go by, Perry and Dick are scheduled to be hung on April 14, 1965. They make one more appeal attempts to get pardoned from the execution, but the Governor of Kansas, William Avery, declines it. The four members of the KBI investigation team show up for the executions of Dick and Perry. Dewey is a little bit bothered by the fact that they are being executed by hanging, because he wants them to feel the pain. Dick comes out first to be executed. He says this: “I just want to say I hold no hard feelings. You people are sending me to a better world than this ever was.” (Capote 420). He shakes hands with the four members of the KBI investigation team, then is dropped down the trap door to plummet to his death. Perry comes to be executed next. He says this: “I think it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally, or legally.” (Voss 143). He says sorry, and plummets down to his death, just like his former friend. They stopped talking to each other during their time on Death Row.

Activity 2: Biography

Author’s Educational Background:

Truman Capote attended Dwight School, which is a college located is Manhattan, NY.

What Qualifies the Author to Write Such a True Crime Book?

Well, Truman Capote had a very good reputation, as he was an established actor, screenwriter, novelist, and various other titles. This reputation gave him the publicity and credibility needed to make a book that the general public would actually care about. “In Cold Blood” is based on the actual story of the Clutter family murders. When he heard the horrific news of the tragic death of the Clutter family, He decided to head to Holcomb, KA. One important thing to consider or keep in mind, is that “In Cold Blood,” is based on a true crime case. This case was obviously very intriguing to Capote, and he decided to write a book about it. Because of the book’s realistic nature, it gives a good and truthful image as to how cases involving egregious crimes tended to play out back in that time. He worked on the book for six years prior to it’s release.

Activity 3: Content

What is the main idea of the book? What is the purpose in writing the book? What makes this particular crime or events worth writing a book about? What makes it interesting or different?

The main idea of this book is that even the people who commit the most egregious of crime, may not always be evil people. Sometimes, they are the victims of their own minds. Truman Capote wrote “In Cold Blood,” because he wanted to experiment his theory that journalism and creative writing could be put together to make something bigger and better. He called the outcome of this mixture, and “non-fiction novel.” This was the birth of this very popular genre. The events in this book are worth writing about, because the events go to show how much ignorance there was in the justice system at this time. It is obvious that both Perry and Dick had some serious mental issues that needed to be seriously considered during the sentencing. Perry has schizophrenia, and Dick may have brain damage and Borderline Personality Disorder. Perry has an extremely trouble past, filled with abuse and violence. Dick also admitted that he had trouble controlling his impulsive behaviours and that he felt that it was because of the car accident he got into. Dick seems to be a pedophile, so there are many underlying issues that the court should have examined more carefully before sentencing both Perry and Dick. There is no doubt that this book is unique and interesting, as it was a game changer and trendsetter in the world of novels, and all literature in general.

Pick three or four of the main events of the book and write a summary of the action, include what makes the event important to the overall structure of the book or story and what the event contributes to the author’s purpose in writing the book.

Murders

Dick fully intends on making sure that there are no witnesses left alive to tell the police what was about to happen. Perry isn’t too sure if things will go according to plan, so he asks Dick, so they can buy face masks to conceal their identities. Perry tells Dick the story of how he once beat a black man to death with a bike chain, for no reason. Dick becomes obsessed with this story. This whole portion of text in the story, just tells the reader that Perry and Dick must have underlying mental health issues. Before heading to the Clutter household, they have dinner at a steak restaurant, then they head over to the gas station to buy cigars and tape. Perry is addicted to painkillers. When Perry goes to the washroom to take the painkillers, Dick begins to lose confidence in Perry’s ability to be a “true killer.” He believes the Perry is beginning to get cold feet about the crime they are about to commit. Drive to Holcomb and enter the house during the middle of the night, while the family is asleep. When they went into the house and didn’t find the safe they were looking for, they restrained the family with the tape. They slit Mr. Clutters throat and shot him. They then proceeded to shoot Kenyon, Bonnie, and Nancy. They only got around $50 out of it. This event is the climax of the book. It really sets the tone for how the rest of the book will play out.

Verdict is Passed

After 40 minutes of jury deliberation, they found Perry and Dick guilty on four first-degree murder charges. They were sentenced 5 years in prison, with the death penalty at the end of serving their sentence. This event showcases the ignorance that the Criminal Justice System had towards mental illnesses back then. It is very clear that both Dick and Perry have some serious mental health issues, with Dick being a pedophile, and Perry having schizophrenia. The two men are found guilty, and the judge simply just gave them a life sentence without a second thought. This just goes to show how far the justice system has come in the last 60 years. The event is part of the controversial ending in Truman’s six-year long study.

Dick and Perry are executed by hanging

Dick comes out first to be executed. He says this: “I just want to say I hold no hard feelings. You people are sending me to a better world than this ever was.” (Capote 420). He shakes hands with the four members of the KBI investigation team, then is dropped down the trap door to plummet to his death. Perry comes to be executed next. He says this: “I think it’s a helluva thing to take a life in this manner. I don’t believe in capital punishment, morally, or legally.” (Voss 143). He says sorry, and plummets down to his death, just like his former friend. They stopped talking to each other during their time on Death Row. This event is significant to the structure of the book, because it concludes all the action and ties up loose ends.

Essay on ‘In Cold Blood’ Setting

Truman Capote had a very good reputation, as he was an established actor, screenwriter, novelist, and various other titles. This reputation gave him the publicity and credibility needed to make a book that the general public would actually care about. “In Cold Blood” is based on the actual story of the Clutter family murders. Upon hearing about the murders, Capote decided to leave NYC and head to the crime scene. He went to the crime scene with his friend Harper Lee, who is the author of arguably one of the greatest books of all time, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Another important thing to consider or keep in mind, is that “In Cold Blood,” is based on a true crime case. This case was obviously very intriguing to Capote, and he decided to write a non-fiction book about it. Because of the book’s realistic nature, it gives a good and truthful image as to how cases involving egregious crimes tend to play out.

The main idea of this book is that even the people who commit the most egregious of crime, may not always be evil people. Sometimes, they are the victims of their own minds.

Truman Capote wrote “In Cold Blood,” because he wanted to experiment his theory that journalism and creative writing could be put together to make something bigger and better. He called the outcome of this mixture, and “non-fiction novel.” This was the birth of this very popular genre. The events in this book are worth writing about, because the events go to show how much ignorance there was in the justice system at this time. It is obvious that both Perry and Dick had some serious mental issues that needed to be seriously considered during the sentencing. Perry has schizophrenia, and Dick may have brain damage and character disorder. Perry has an extremely trouble past, filled with abuse and violence. Perry also admitted that he had trouble controlling his impulsive behaviours and that he felt that it was because of the car accident he got into. He is also a pedophile, so there are many underlying issues that the court should have examined more carefully before sentencing both Perry and Dick. There is no doubt that this book is unique and interesting, as it was a game changer and trendsetter in the world of novels, and all literature in general.

Perry and Dick eat steak for dinner, before pulling up to the Clutter household. Dick and Perry kill the Clutter family, by entering their homes, in search of the safe that Dick believed was there. They were hellbent on not leaving any witness, so that’s what they did. This event is important, because it’s the climax of the story, and it’s the main event that this book is centered around. Without this event, the story would not be complete. This event sets the tone for how the rest of the story will play out.

The KBI agents testify. They present the information that they gathered from the interrogations of Dick and Perry. Capote reveals Dr. Jones’s assessment of the Perry and Dick, which shows that Dr. Jones thinks that Perry has schizophrenia. He also thinks that Dick has a character disorder, and may have brain damage from the car accident he was in. The prosecution team is not able to back up their clients with solid evidence, as they are only able to get a character witness testimony from Floyd Wells, and make arguments as to why they shouldn’t get the death penalty. At this point, a life sentence was unavoidable, so the defense wanted to at least make sure that they did get put on death row. After considering the information given, the jury deliberated for 40 minutes, and made their decision. The judge sentenced Dick and Perry to death by hanging. This event showed that two men who may not have even had the mens rea to commit a crime, were going to lose their lives. This verdict shows the flaws in the Criminal Justice System.

Before their executions, Dick says he has no ill will towards the KBI agents. He then says he’s going to a better place. He then shakes their hands and gets dropped down the trap door. He hangs for 20 minutes, until the prison doctor says he is dead. Perry says he doesn’t believe in the death penalty. He apologies, then gets dropped down the trap door. This event is important to the structure of the book, because it puts an end to the story arcs of the main characters, Dick and Perry. It also goes to show a realistic example of what has happened to people in similar cases to this one.

“In Cold Blood” was very good. I found the book very captivating to read the first ever non-fiction novel. As for the informative aspect, I found the book very informative, because I didn’t know that courts were so ignorant towards mental health deficiencies back then. The events of this story only took place around 60 years ago. This is not a very long time, so was kind of cool to see how much the justice system has changed in the last six decades. I’m very happy that I took the time to read this book, and it was definitely worth the time it took to read it.

Essay on ‘In Cold Blood’: Perry Smith Analysis

The enemies of the Clutter family Perry Smith, and Dick Hickock are depicted as at no other time in Truman Capote’s genuine novel In Cold Blood. The epic enables the peruser to observe an instinctive comprehension of the past, considerations and sentiments of the killer. It broadly expounds of the fields of Smith and Hickock, which clarifies the way of life they ventured paving the way to the killings, just as the contemplations that finished the killings their brains.

Perry Smith, with a huge middle, was a short man. From the start, ‘he had all the earmarks of being an increasingly typical estimated man, an influential man, with the shoulders, arms, a weightlifter’s thick, hunkering middle. However] when he was standing, he was no taller than a twelve-year-old kid’ (15). What Smith needed stature, he made up in information. Perry was ‘a lexicon buff, an aficionado of darken words’ (22). As an immature, he ached for writing and wanted to pick up knowledge into the conjured up universes he got away into, for Perry’s existence was nothing not exactly a living bad dream. ‘His mom [was] a heavy drinker [and] had choked to death all alone regurgitation’ (110). Smith had two sisters and a more seasoned sibling. His sister Fern had ended it all by leaping out of a window and his sibling Jimmy pursued Fern’s suit and ended it all the day after his significant other had killed herself. Perry’s sister, Barbara, was the main ordinary one and had made a decent life for herself. These awful mishaps left Perry rationally shaky and at last landed him in prison, where he came into associate with Dick Hickock, who was in prison for passing terrible checks. Dick and Perry became companions and this new fellowship changed the course of their lives for eternity. Hickock quickly made note of Perry’s odd character and expressed that there was ‘some kind of problem with Little Perry. Perry could be such a child, continually wetting his bed and crying in his rest. Furthermore, frequently [Dick] had seen him sit for a considerable length of time simply sucking his thumb. Here and there, old Perry was creepy as hellfire. Take, for example, that temper of his. He could slide into an anger faster than ten alcoholic Indians. But then you wouldn’t know it. He may be prepared to slaughter you, however you’d never know it, not to take a gander at it or hear it out’ (108). Perry’s short circuit and broken foundation were the two pieces to Perry’s degenerate life bewilder that soured and spoiled the last ‘picture’.

Richard ‘Dick’ Hickock, ‘thought himself as adjusted, as normal as anybody perhaps somewhat more brilliant than the normal individual, that is each of the’ (108). He had experienced childhood in a typical family, with his great hearted guardians. In secondary school, Dick had it made, with good evaluations and an anomalous athletic capacity. Dick got a school football grant, be that as it may, turned it down. Rather, Dick was ‘twice hitched, twice separated, the dad of three young men’ (24). This put a monetary strain on him which drove him to pass awful checks, and this extortion landed him in prison, with Perry Smith. In any case, Hickock was discharged and ‘had gotten his parole relying on the prerequisite that he live with his parent’s’ (24). While living with his folks again, Dick’s psyche started to go crazy, conjuring up thoughts of speedy and simple approaches to acquire money, and the possibility that he had once thought of in a prison cell with Perry Smith flew once again into his brain.

Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were not just prisoner companions, in any case, after their discharge from jail, they additionally kept up their fellowship. While in prison, a thought jumped up inside the psyche of Hickock. It was a fast and simple approach to obtain a sizable sum of wealth, anyway it accompanied one substantial value, murder. The killings of four of the Clutter relatives was a fierce and sudden one. Hickock and Smith utilized ‘a twelve-measure shotgun, spic and span, blue surged, and with a sportsman’s scene of birds in flight scratched along the stock. An electric lamp, an angling blade, a couple of calfskin gloves, and a chasing vest completely stuffed with shells [were additionally utilized in the murders]’ (22). After they had completed the activity, the two drove to a few better places, including Mexico and Florida. During this time, the two men were in altogether different mental perspectives. For Perry, he felt that ‘there more likely than not been some kind of problem with [them], to do what [they] did. There must be some kind of problem with someone who’d do a thing like that’ (108). Thinking back upon the killings, Smith couldn’t grasp how he could’ve done that to another human. Upon his Las Vegas catch, Perry was addressed and promptly set up his protective and aggregate cover for the investigative specialists, anyway behind that quiet shell was a man who was in unrest with his cognizant for the ethical parts of his choices in killing four guiltless individuals. For Dick, it was not really about the profound quality of his activities, it was the topic of if ‘both of them [were] legitimate to God going to pull off doing a thing like that’ (110). Hickock’s response to the killings was not stunned over the way that he had finished four lives, in any case, it was the straightforward dread of being gotten.

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock were two altogether different men who met up in one of the most famous and discussed kills in American history. Despite the fact that the men’s thought processes were the equivalent, the mental contrasts that they encountered after the homicides were altogether different. Smith and Hickock were living demonstrations of the way that one’s childhood truly plays a section in the individual one will some time or another become. For Perry, his horrendous family encounters, or absence of them, drove him to a crazy breakdown and for Dick, his budgetary battles made inside him the longing to pick up riches. These two key occasions inside the men prompted the Clutter murders and to their definitive destruction.