Compassion for Caroline?

Nope, not one bit.

I do.

She has- and had- a personality disorder. Perhaps, if she had gotten the right treatment, had been given the right medication, it's possible she would have never committed the murder. Perhaps if her parents had been more attentive, less hard on her, she would not have become some ill without anyone noticing. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

In any case, if Rachel's family has found it in their hearts to forgive her, to feel some compassion for her, who are we to do differently?

I feel incredibly sorry and compassionate for Caroline. She was very, very, very mentally ill and sad. What she did there is no excuse for, so there should always be a punishment. But I do think being in a mental institution is what she needed. Someone that sick shouldnt be in jail. The people in jail should be the sickos who are sociopathic and kill out of hate or anger or no feelings at all, or petty reasons, and yet they still are more sane, and do not have what Caroline has. They are just violent people who do violent things and feel non apologetic, ever. They still are sane enough to know right from wrong. Caroline I am sure knows right from wrong---but in her state of sadness and delusion, she was no longer even living in reality. Whereas a lot of criminals are still very much in reality. There's a difference between committing unspeakable acts, like murder, and being sane and in reality and not feeling sorry about it, verses committing murder and NO longer being in reality, and being a tortured soul like Caroline. If Caroline needed to be institutionalized forever then so be it, but that is still the right choice for her verses prison. Had she gone to prison, she probably would have ended up killing herself at some point. Maybe even find a way in the hospital if they arent able to get her better. What she needed was support and love first of all, but she had a family that was too afraid of her to help her and be kind and loving. Imagine how different things could have been, even in the smallest way if her father had given her the attention and love she yearned for from such a young age? She may have still been sick but not turned to murder, to delusions, to feeling the need to be perfect and be someone who exuded perfection in her eyes. She needed heavy medication. Obviously the medication she was taking was not strong enough or the right kind for her condition.

I feel awful for Rachel's family. And I am sure it's difficult for them to look at Caroline as a human in an immense overloaded amount of pain, mental torture and sadness. Who is detached from reality and so far beyond just being "depressed" --- and they themselves have not felt what Caroline did. They had noone in their family with that problem. What if Rachel was like Caroline? And Rachel ended up doing something like this. Perhaps theyd have a bit more understanding into Caroline's problems. It wouldnt bring back their daughter or take away their sadness but for people like them all they see is a mean, psychotic killer who has no feelings and had control not to do this. But it's not that black and white. They probably felt they wanted justice for what happened but what they dont realize is they will always have justice. Caroline will always be living in torture which is what parents of children who are murdered want from their killers. Not the death penalty (too easy) but life in prison where they will hopefully go crazy or get beaten everyday and not have a life. Caroline was already in a prison of her own mind and body. She already had no life. She was already punishing herself and her brain was punishing her every single day.

Do I think what Caroline did was justified at all? No. Not at all. And I feel horrible for parents that would have to go through this. But do i feel sorry for Caroline and people like her? Yes I really, really do.

Now if Caroline did have her parents on her side and showed her undying support and help. She was on the right meds, she had people constantly trying to help her and show her shes loved---- and she didnt accept that love and still went on to do this, I'd feel less sympathy. But Caroline was obviously not only tortured but also completely alone in all of it. That is scary. And I hate people have to deal with such horrible mental ilness that sometimes cant even be helped.

And its awful other people like Rachel and Rachel's family have to deal with other people's mental illness taking something away from them or something awful happpening because of someone else's problems.

But in Caroline's case its not so cut and dry. "She killed someone she must be evil, pt her away forever or give her the death penalty" No.

Thats why this movie was made. To show what happened in all aspects. So Rachel's family can show their story but they went into detail showing Caroline's mind set for a reason. She wasn't a monster of her own making who had no feelings. And they wanted to make people aware if mental illness. ANd maybe show people for Caroline too and Caroline's family that she wasn't just an evil peice of shi* person who was living in reality, knowing right from wrong, choosing to be miserable and choosing to be a killer. People who dont know mental ilness think everything is a choice. It's not. "She could have chosen not to kill Rachel"----as awful as it is, no, at that point she had no choice (within herself) she was incredibly delusional and sick.

But no, by feeling sorry for Caroline I in no way condone what she did or think it should ever go unpunished.