I'm out of sync with this entire thread. Maybe it's because I realize that all CRIME isn't black and white, all people aren't good or evil, and all reality isn't summed up in a way that's emotionally satisfying. While the brilliant folks here try and play nice in their arguments while not trying to offend the general sentiment that every criminal is an undeniable evil ****, I try and look at reality in a realistic way. Reality and realistic go hand and hand, but that's besides the point.
I know it doesn't quite feel good to the lower functions of the brain if one tries to understand criminal acts while at the same time hating the act, it is the most rational way to approach reality. Not every person on death row is an evil **** who lived their life to destroy the world. I know the movie bad guy is an easy goto caricature, but that's not how reality works. People are so complex that it does take a lot of effort to try and understand them, especially when they do things that we can't understand from our perspective. Still the effort might be rewarded if we took the time to examine things in a way that doesn't start from the gut and end with a gun and/or a torture implement. I'm as jaded as anybody, probably more so, but I still try and look at everything, everybody, every behavior, every action, every nuance, with an empathetic and sympathetic eye. It's not easy, but it is an important step in a process called social evolution.