Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States

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Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 3,150 ratings · 253 reviews

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier's death, the Roman Catholic nun came to know a man who was as terrified as he had once been terrifying. At the same time, she came to know the fam...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 31st 1994 by Vintage (first published 1993)

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May 04, 2011 Sparrow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: law, non-fiction, memoir-biography, up-hill-both-ways-in-the-snow, slaves, girls-rule, reviewed, law-basics-minus-tuition-fees, monsters

This is the story of a serial killer who enslaves people, usually black men, and tortures them by telling them the date the killer plans to execute them and then by keeping them locked in chains until that date, always reminding them of the date’s imminence. Sometimes, the killer tells them that if they are lucky, if the killer likes them enough, they might escape death, but that just seems to increase the torture because the killer doesn’t really plan to let them go. The killer in this book als...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Marsel rated it 3 of 5 stars

As I read more of this book, I draw more into and even step into the life of a criminal being executed. How cruel the government would be to just kill a man with nothing good coming from it. They believe that executing the bad will make a better world. But no, what did it bring? A constant pain, agony, and more and more bad people seeking revenge for the dead. We should be lucky enough that nuns from a Catholic church comes and helps and even comfort the criminals while the day goes by from exec...more As I read more of this book, I draw more into and even step into the life of a criminal being executed. How cruel the government would be to just kill a man with nothing good coming from it. They believe that executing the bad will make a better world. But no, what did it bring? A constant pain, agony, and more and more bad people seeking revenge for the dead. We should be lucky enough that nuns from a Catholic church comes and helps and even comfort the criminals while the day goes by from execution. They not only help the criminals, but they also try their best to prevent from executing the criminals. Yes criminals should be punished for what they did, but what does it bring for you? Nothing but revenge. I would understand if I had a close one of mine killed, I'd seek revenge as well, but is it easier to rather kill the criminal who kills? or forgive them? Choose, because what I see in our government today is what they are not. I thought they bring about peace in a peaceful matter.. But then again, I understand the World isn't perfect. This book for me has been an inspiration to me, as each book always is..

I'm about half way into the book now, and I'm actually starting to get a little bored, no lie.. I know most of what I'm reading because it's the same crime that happens here in Alameda or at anywhere in the world. What I learn about this book, on the other hand, is the laws and things about executing someone, and how the government reacts to such criminals. The key point I see in this book actually, is the fact of how the government treats these human beings as animals. Animals that must be killed because of their wraths, their killing spree, their lives being meaningless, and that to solve this, they kill them without regrets and hesitation. There isn't much to say about the book so far..

As I predicted..I got bored once again, but trying to not get bored because this book has a lot of good tips about the law and the executions. The more I read, the more I get bored, but yet I keep on reading...

Funny how the more bored I get the more I read right? Well now that I got back into reading this book thoroughly..I wonder. Do we have spiritual advisers for the criminals in prisons? I hope we do because Sister Helen Prejean is doing a great job at helping the criminals forgive not only what he has done, but also himself. I admire Sister Helen because. although she's obligated to be a spiritual adviser to anyone after her 1st criminal. She still goes out to help and pray for them and endure the pain of both pros and cons of the crimes and their victims. There are a lot of quotes I like in this book, but here's one of them. "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and lamenting: Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more."(less)

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Mar 23, 2008 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: non-fiction, 2008

First line: When Chava Colon from the Prison Coalition ask me one January in 1982 to become a pen pal to a death-row inmate, I say , Sure.

This simple answer led sister Helen Prejean down a road that shaped her into a spiritual counselor to those on death-row, an activist for victim's rights, and an activist against the death penalty. This book was later made into a movie, but it covers a lot more ground than the movie. Not just her first experience, but others. She also supplies many facts about...more

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Jan 07, 2008 Wallace rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, this one has a seriously funny story attached to it, but it also had a huge impact on me at that time in my life. I went out on a first date with a really cute guy, and we went to the movie. I was so troubled by the film (although I loved it), that I cried so much he had to take me home. I couldn't even talk! He surprised me by asking me out again, though. He must have thought I was a lunatic.

The book is very good, and it lives up to the notion that the book is always better than the movie....more

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Aug 02, 2007 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: best-nonfiction, women-writers, politics, 2006, law, america, favorite-writers

I don't think you can read this book and continue to support the death penalty. Sister Helen Prejean's account of her personal experience is compelling, but when augmented with her cogent philosophical arguments, firm grasp of statistics and facts, and ability to calmly but firmly entertain and then quash every remotely plausible counterargument, the result will transform the way you think not only about this pressing political issue, but about punishment, humanity, and forgiveness. I think it s...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Ryan H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ryan Hogan 4 B/D
Book Review Dead Man Walking
For my book review, I read Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. The book is non-fiction, as the plot is about how Prejean herself interacted with a death row inmate. The purpose of the book is to shine a light on the fact that death row inmates are not always terrible people, as the media often portrays them to be. The story starts off with Prejean exchanging letters with Elmo Patrick Sonnier. While exchanging the letters, Sonnier tells Prejean t...more Ryan Hogan 4 B/D
Book Review Dead Man Walking
For my book review, I read Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. The book is non-fiction, as the plot is about how Prejean herself interacted with a death row inmate. The purpose of the book is to shine a light on the fact that death row inmates are not always terrible people, as the media often portrays them to be. The story starts off with Prejean exchanging letters with Elmo Patrick Sonnier. While exchanging the letters, Sonnier tells Prejean that he has been convicted of kidnapping, raping, and murdering two teenagers. Elmo’s brother, Eddie, was also involved in the crime, and is serving a life sentence as opposed to Elmo’s death sentence. Prejean eventually begins to visit Patrick on a regular basis, and she even visited Eddie, who admitted that he was the one who in fact pulled the trigger, killing both teenagers.
Every day is one step closer to Patrick’s execution date, and despite many appeals from Prejean, the judge is unwilling to change the sentence. In a last-ditch effort, Eddie writes a letter to the judge confessing that he killed the two teenagers, not Patrick. The judge, however, ignores the letter. All final appeals from Patrick are rejected, and all he can do now it wait until his execution day which is fast approaching. On the day of the execution, Patrick apologizes to the father of one of the murdered teenagers. Patrick gets his head shaved for the execution, and is later pronounced dead.
After the execution, Prejean promises herself that she will continue her duty in counseling death row inmates. She later discovers Robert Willie, who was convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl, and he has received a death sentence. Prejean organizes a parade that opposes the death penalty, in order to raise awareness. Robert Willie’s story is strikingly similar to Elmo Patrick Sonnier’s, as all appeals are rejected and they both end up being executed. Prejean later becomes an advocate for victim’s families’ rights.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the death penalty or anybody who is interested in learning about human rights. The book very vividly described two true stories, and Prejean did a great job telling the story to the reader.
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Oct 05, 2012 Abby McCullough rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about Sister Helen Prejean, a nun, and her experience with fighting the death sentence and being the spiritual adviser for two very different men on death row in Louisiana. Robert Willie was a scary man, the kind of man I would expect to meet in prison, except he was very small. With Pat, the first man, I expected to read about a huge man with tattoos who was rude and cussed a lot, and what I got was a quiet, polite man who was very friendly and kind to Sister Helen. The book took...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never saw this movie so was glad to read the book. Helen Prejean, a nun, was asked to be a pen pal to a death row resident in New Orleans. She later meets him and becomes his spiritual advisor, witnessing his execution and then repeats this with a second convict. During this experience, she is educated about the specifics of the individual cases (in both, there were 2 men involved, yet one man received death and his partner, a life sentence), the unfairness of the system exemplified by the fac...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Bunny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-11, owned

I've had this book for some time now, hesitant to read it because it's written by a nun. Nine years of Catholic school can mess a person up when it comes to nuns.

But then the Troy Davis execution happened, and my anger and frustration was too much for me. So I picked up the book.

I'm extraordinarily wishy-washy when it comes to the death penalty. A great part of me doesn't think 12 people have the right to decide the death of another human being. And considering how much we frown on executions in...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Sparrow rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have a lot of feelings about this book. I'm so impressed with Sister Prejean and her capacity for love, and I really wish I could be more like her... for Pat, I definitely felt a lot of sadness about his death, and cried and cried. For Willie, I'm not so sure what to think since he appeared to be unapologetic... but there are so many things that go into a person's psyche, and what chain of feelings causes reactions.. this is one reason why I feel Jesus asks us not to judge, besides that we are...more I have a lot of feelings about this book. I'm so impressed with Sister Prejean and her capacity for love, and I really wish I could be more like her... for Pat, I definitely felt a lot of sadness about his death, and cried and cried. For Willie, I'm not so sure what to think since he appeared to be unapologetic... but there are so many things that go into a person's psyche, and what chain of feelings causes reactions.. this is one reason why I feel Jesus asks us not to judge, besides that we are all guilty, because we can never really know what causes a person's actions, what pain or lack of being loved drove them to screw their lives over as well as someone else's. Only God could really know that, And I'm so glad that he's the judge, not any human.

I also read this book with a measure of sickness... First because it is terrible how people let hatred consume their lives, when forgiveness is what heals you from anger and pain. I appreciated the mention of that with David's father, who was much more graceful than Vernon, who was being eaten away be his hatred. What also disturbs me is how much these people demand the death of a human being for murders inflicted, yet turn around and take part in purchasing factory farmed meat, which causes prolonged and extremely painful and heinous suffering, sickness... does it really matter that animals are not humans? Is their fear and suffering any less? Many of these animals have their young taken away immediately after being born, and most humans would agree that dogs and cats are protective of their young. Why is it okay when it's a meat animal? Why is it okay to throw male chicks into dumpsters, leaving them to die, ramming downer cows with forklifts because they are too sick to walk to the slaughter floor? These animals not only suffer premeditated death, but suffer lifelong suffering so humans can please their tastebuds. No one in america needs meat to survive, it is only partaking in another horrible system of violence. And while these victim support groups fry their hamburgers, they completely ignore the suffering behind those burgers, pretending that through not being the perpetrator, they are seperated from the guilt... But buying factory farmed meat is paying for these things to continue, with approval.

And that is the REAL reason Jesus teaches all to not judge, because nearly all participate in the wanton pain and suffering of another being, so none can claim innocence.(less)

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Nov 23, 2010 Corinne rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Sister Helen Prejean accepts a request to exchange letters with a prisoner on death row, she has no idea that it will be the springboard into a life of activism. Her life in Louisiana becomes embroiled with politics and legal proceedings, support groups and protest walks as she commits herself to the anti-death penalty cause.

Dead Man Walking is a memoir and a treatise on the history of the death penalty. She clearly states the side she has taken and the reasons while she feels that whether...more When Sister Helen Prejean accepts a request to exchange letters with a prisoner on death row, she has no idea that it will be the springboard into a life of activism. Her life in Louisiana becomes embroiled with politics and legal proceedings, support groups and protest walks as she commits herself to the anti-death penalty cause.

Dead Man Walking is a memoir and a treatise on the history of the death penalty. She clearly states the side she has taken and the reasons while she feels that whether a person is killed by the state or by a “murderer,” intentional, premeditated killing is wrong. She has to navigate the emotional territory of the victim’s families who struggling with rage and loss while at the same time supporting the right to life (in prison) of the criminals.

Controversial. Yes. My husband and I had multiple discussions during my (admittedly slow-moving) reading of this book. Is it murder to kill a criminal? Can our criminal justice system correctly identify and prosecute the true perpetrators of crimes? Does the death penalty actually deter crime? Does the government’s killing of your child’s murderer actually help you to heal, or does it take something deeper?

Is it fun to read? Not so much. Redundant? Sometimes. And there is a lot of driving back and forth (like, in a car) that sometimes got tedious, I liked the “guts” of the book more than the narrative, I think. She is very persuasive but I feel like the book could’ve been shorter and still been as persuasive. It was interesting to meet several criminals and try to come to terms with their friendly behavior and the heinous crimes they committed – and then follow their last days and moments before being executed, such a systematic and emotion-less process.

It’s a high-stakes issue. I applaud Sister Prejean’s energy to do good in the best ways she can and for speaking out. I have no desire to read a book on the death penalty again, but I don’t regret following this one to its finish. (less)

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Dec 21, 2007 Carin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, political, women-authors, favorites, seen-the-movie

this book changed my political views. Prior to reading this, I'd always said that while I was intellectually opposed to the death penalty, if it were my sister who'd been murdered, I wouldn't be opposed in the slightest. After reading this simple, honest, forthright story of a nun's experiences counseling two murderers, I am now completely opposed under any circumstances, even more than 10 years after having read it. (The movie merges the two men in the book into a compilation.)

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Aug 02, 2009 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book interesting and well-written. Sister Prejean writes with to-the-point simplicity, weaving facts and arguments against capital punishment along with narratives of her experiences as spiritual advisor to criminals on Louisiana's death row. The book could've been half as long, I believe, as after her story of inmate Patrick Sonnier she basically repeats the same story regarding Robert Willie with much of the same arguments and information. Still, it's interesting to see how she le...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a reread. It's an important subject. Anyone who is a viable thinking adult should be able to articulate their stand on capital punishment...and it's not enough to say "an eye for an eye". That implied that one eye is equal to another. Not only that, anyone who has ever been involved in a case in the courtroom surely realizes that the judicial process has very little to do with justice. It's all about which lawyer can get the better deal.

Although Prejean is obviously for one side of the a...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Tanner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Regardless of the fact that most human beings would like to kill another human being just for the justification that their son/daughter died by there hand, it is still not right to kill a human over a crime such as that. It is terrible that this even had to happen but it makes you no better then them. This was the basis of this story. Telling the story of a man that killed a loved one and then sentencing him to death. Opinions on top of opinions started piling out of me as i was reading this sto...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

This book is steadfastly one-sided in its views on the death penalty and yet never did I feel I was being preached at or that those who are in favor of the death penalty are dead wrong (no pun intended). In fact, in addition to being a spiritual adviser to not just the man portrayed in the film (I do not know why his name was changed for the film) but to another man on death row as his execution neared, Sister Helen Prejean also befriended and comforted the families of the victims. In fact, I wa...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Sascha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Death Row. A place for people who've committed crimes to some of the highest degrees are kept here.

A nun by Sister Prejean goes to spiritually advise people on death row.

This novel is descriptive and intelligent. A non-fiction narrative presents a truly unique way of presenting a story line. Going through the book you encounter many actual, real citations from articles and cases in real life. If you like seeing the truth in a book, you will be very interested to read this.

However, if you are i...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Jim Behringer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, nonfiction

Sister Prejean describes her experiences with two death row inmates, Pat Sonnier and Robert Wille, both guilty of gruesome murders. By examining both cases and how the court system handled them she makes her case against the death penalty.

Sister Prejean believes the death penalty is immoral in all cases, that the government never has the right to kill under any circumstances. While her own position is so extreme that she has to ignore or dismiss Biblical statements that contradict her (though sh...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Anniekk rated it 4 of 5 stars

I saw about half the movie about two weeks ago, and it peaked my interest to know the whole story. I suppose some people would think Sister Helen a soft hearted woman and think her response to this man typical of a nun, but to me one of the best parts about this account is her wrestling with all the issues the death sentence brings up. The poor are more likely to be given the death penalty, the wierd laws surronding appeals, the political reality of the South, free defense attorneys who literaly...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars

A bit dated but still good at providing every possible reason to be against the death penalty both secular and Christian. The only reason for favoring it seems to be revenge by survivors yet our governments rate of killing is right up there with Iraq, Iran, Russia and China. Relatives pushing for the murderer's death have later stated it left them unsatisfied. Hatred hurts the hater more than the one hated.
The death penalty has been proved not to be effective at reducing the murder rate and it's...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Waven rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, spiritual

This is an excellent look at the death penalty from the views of both those who favor it and those who face it. And it must be read to fully appreciate its stance; a few paragraphs of summary cannot do this book justice, no matter what your opinions are. But, in summary, victims' families and convicted inmates find a steadfast ally in Sister Helen Prejean, who wants to help resolve the hardest issues both sides face. With unerring logic and a reel of disappointing statistics, Sister Prejean lays...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Aaron rated it 1 of 5 stars

I can't deny the fact that the author has lied about the cases. She cherry picks what facts to tell in order to support her side. I can appreciate her efforts but in truth, can I really? The efforts are for a coveted motive. It is sad to see that people just take in whatever someone wants to rant. I suggest you read, Victims of a Dead Man Walking; by Detective Vernando. I also suggest you research the cases to see the reality of what happened. The facts she uses for research are very old and out...more

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Mar 21, 2009 Shana rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a few years ago. I'd seen the film in college as an undergrad, and while I was in divinity school, Sister Helen Prejean came as a speaker. I was so moved listening to her, and at the end of her talk, she mentioned they'd be selling her books and that all the profits would go to this anti-death penalty coalition. Well, I am and have always been against the death penalty, and the opportunity to support a cause I believed in as well as to get what I imagined to be a good book was t...more I read this book a few years ago. I'd seen the film in college as an undergrad, and while I was in divinity school, Sister Helen Prejean came as a speaker. I was so moved listening to her, and at the end of her talk, she mentioned they'd be selling her books and that all the profits would go to this anti-death penalty coalition. Well, I am and have always been against the death penalty, and the opportunity to support a cause I believed in as well as to get what I imagined to be a good book was too great. Despite the fact that the cost of two books was basically my entire cash flow for the rest of the week, I bought one for myself and one for my mom. I was not disappointed.

Is the best book ever written? Absolutely not, and I noticed more of its flaws on this my second reading. However, she does a great job of both giving a personal and detailed argument against capital punishment based on her own experiences as a spiritual adviser to two death row inmates and of giving a big picture, statistically based argument. By sharing her own experiences, she gives death row criminals a face, makes them real people instead of monsters or cartoon villains. This isn't to say that the men haven't committed villainous acts. Both of the inmates whose stories she tells did horrible, monstrous things, but she makes clear that neither of them are monsters. They are men who made bad decisions, a lot of bad decisions, something we all do, albeit not to the extent they did. She also makes clear that both men are deserving of punishment. Neither one is or is portrayed as a choir boy. However, neither man is singly responsible for his crimes either, and the accomplices of both men are sentenced to life imprisonment. That in and of itself says there is something fundamentally wrong with the way the death penalty is meted out.

Of course, at this point, her statistics are way out of date. It would be great to see an updated edition. Perhaps the new information could be added as an appendix or perhaps the entire thing could be reworked. In fact, she did release a second book in 2004, one I've yet to read, but even that is five years old at this point. However, even given that numbers she cites are no longer same, the basic points remain the same, and they make this a book worth reading.(less)

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Jun 28, 2010 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-school

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Helen Prejean tells about her experience with the death penalty and why it should be abolished. Its starts with Patrick Sonnier's death penalty case in which he and his brother are charged with the murders of two teenagers. Helen fights to save Patrick from the electric chair but in the end does not successed. This is the start of her mission to save inmates from execusion and how to get the poor better represintation in the court room. She learns from Pat's case that she needs to reach out to t...more

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Jan 23, 2013 GEPL Staff Picks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mary-kay-recommends

I didn't grow up around a lot of nuns, but my mother did, and when I saw this book on the library shelf I suggested she and I read it together. From the start, Prejean's voice is utterly loving and earnest. The book is about forgiveness, and the importance and power of love. That Sister Prejean could see so clearly the humanity and intrinsic value in the lives of people who committed such heinous acts (and even served as spiritual adviser to them) is testament to her true service in the name of...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Mimi Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars

This simply is one of the most powerful and compelling books I have ever read. I read this book a few years ago and it has stayed with me ever since then. Sister Helen Prejean discusses her experiences in ministering to death row inmates and writes with compassion and insight. She acknowledges her own failures, shortcomings and struggles with helping those people who must of us would feel no need to offer assistance to. This book is moving, and insightful, and Sister Prejean makes her case for...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Giedra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Picked this up at a garage sale. I had seen the movie and just thought it would be an interesting read. Now of course I want to see the movie again so I can see what they changed--did they combine Pat Sonnier's and Robert Willie's stories into one Sean Penn character, or was Sean Penn supposed to be just one of them? I'm guessing the screenplay combined them into a composite character. I will look it up after I write this review....too lazy to do it first. Edited to add: Indeed the movie charact...more Picked this up at a garage sale. I had seen the movie and just thought it would be an interesting read. Now of course I want to see the movie again so I can see what they changed--did they combine Pat Sonnier's and Robert Willie's stories into one Sean Penn character, or was Sean Penn supposed to be just one of them? I'm guessing the screenplay combined them into a composite character. I will look it up after I write this review....too lazy to do it first. Edited to add: Indeed the movie character was a composite character named Matthew Poncelet, and all the victims, families, and crimes were changed as well.

In any case, the book provides a lot of "inside information" about how executions are conducted (or were, in 1980s Louisiana and into the early 90s), politics around the use of the death penalty, cost of executions versus life imprisonment, etc. If you go into reading it supporting the death penalty you just might change your mind. I was already an opponent, so I can't be sure. Of interest, though, is that Prejean does maintain good relationships with victims' families, who often are very vocal in their support for the death penalty and through the times recounted in the book frequently showed up to protest anti-death penalty events that Prejean was part of. As one of the victim's fathers says of himself and Prejean, "We're like 2 baseball teams. We're against each other, but we can still respect each other."

The most gripping parts of the book are Prejean's detailed accounts of time spent with the condemned men to whom she was spiritual adviser, time spent trying to get pardons for them, and time spent with victims' families. Some of the book gets slow with lots of statistics about how the death penalty is structured in various states, numbers of executions, how executions relate to crime rates (or don't), etc...and given that nearly 20 years have passed since the book was first published, these sections probably could stand to be refreshed with newer information, though most of the main points are probably still relevant. She also peppers the text with interesting quotes from other places and times, such as a number of quotes from Camus, who apparently wrote a great deal in opposition to the death penalty (in a book or perhaps essay called The Guillotine). I also appreciated her throwing in lines from prayers or parts of Mass that came to her at various points in her journey...and sharing the Scripture that she shared with Sonnier and Willie in helping them to prepare for their transitions into the next life.

For the record: I started this book before when Goodreads says I did. I had already started it when I finally got around to putting it on the currently reading shelf. I do that a lot. It makes me look like an even faster reader than I am!

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Jan 18, 2009 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This reminded me of all the reasons I was a Christian. I enjoyed the narrative, but mostly, I enjoyed this radical compassion. In quoting Dorothy Day early on, Sister Helen sums up her life's mission: "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable". Sister Helen Prejean has sass and power in her words, and her warmth shines through all of her words: "I try to articulate what I personally believe about Jesus and the ethical thrust he gave to humankind: an impetus toward compassion, a preferen...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Published in 1993 this is one woman’s story of being thrust in to social work in the early 1980s when her religious group redirected their ministries. The nuns moved out into the poor communities and began working with the poor. Sister Prejean was asked to become a pen pal to a murderer on death row and subsequently began her work with the condemned. She also came to work with the families of the victims of the murderers.
Interesting that this was published in 1993, yet I don’t think much has c...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

As I read this book I waffled between feeling wretched and bored. A strange combination of emotions, I know. The emotional turmoil came mostly from a cognitive dissonance that developed as I read through this book which describes one nun's quest to help people on Death Row. The author really made me feel as if these murderers, despite their horrible deeds, should not die. Yet every time I was reminded of the horrible things the criminal had done to completely innocent people I again felt that no...more

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About Helen Prejean

Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ (b. April 21, 1939, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a vowed Roman Catholic religious sister, one of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

Her efforts began in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1981, through a correspondence she maintained with a convicted murderer, Elmo Patrick Sonnier, who was sentenc...more Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ (b. April 21, 1939, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a vowed Roman Catholic religious sister, one of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

Her efforts began in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1981, through a correspondence she maintained with a convicted murderer, Elmo Patrick Sonnier, who was sentenced to death by electrocution. She visited Sonnier in prison and agreed to be his spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his death. The experience gave Prejean greater insight into the process involved in executions and she began speaking out against capital punishment. At the same time, she also founded Survive, an organization devoted to providing counselling to the families of victims of violence.

Prejean has since ministered to many other inmates on death row and witnessed several more executions. She served as National Chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1993 to 1995.

An autobiographical account of her relationship with Sonnier and other inmates on death row served as the basis for the feature film and opera Dead Man Walking. In the film, she was portrayed by Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award. (Although Prejean herself was uncredited, she made a minor cameo as a woman in a candlelit vigil scene outside Louisiana State Penitentiary[1])

In addition to Sonnier, the account is also based on the inmate Robert Lee Willie who, with his friend Joseph Jesse Vaccaro, raped and killed 18-year-old Faith Hathaway May 28, 1980, eight days later kidnapping a Madisonville couple from a wooded lovers' lane and driving them to Alabama. They raped the 16-year-old girl, Debbie Morris (née Cuevas), who would later become the author of her book Forgiving the Dead Man Walking [2] and then stabbed and shot her boyfriend, 20-year-old Mark Brewster, leaving him tied to a tree paralyzed from the waist down.[3]

In 1999 Prejean formed Moratorium 2000 - a petition drive that eventually grew into a National Education campaign entitled The Moratorium Campaign, initially staffed by Robert Jones, Theresa Meisz and Jené O'Keefe and launching Witness to Innocence.

Prejean's second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions was published in December 2004. In it, she tells the story of two men, Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O'Dell, whom she accompanied to their executions. She believes that both of these men were innocent. The book also examines the recent history of death penalty decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States and looks at the track record of George W. Bush as Governor of Texas.

In 1998 Prejean was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award. It was named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in Terris is Latin for "Peace on Earth."

Prejean now bases her work at the Death Penalty Discourse Network in New Orleans and spends her time giving talks across the United States and around the world. She is pro-life: "The pope says we should be unconditionally pro-life; against abortion, against euthanasia, against suicide and (that means also) against the death penalty." This view is commonly called the Consistent Life Ethic.

In 2008, Sister Helen spoke at Jesuit High School, Sacramento, for a theme regarding social justice and the death penalty. Over 1000 students watched her speak on her opinions. Sr. Helen spoke at LaSalle University in Philadelphia on March 23, 2009 Prejean is currently scheduled to speak at the University of Puget Sound on March 30th. The event is open to the public

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This page was last modified on 24 April 2009, at 17:45 (UTC). (less)

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Books by Helen Prejean

The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions

Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death

A Different Kind of Cell: The Story of a Murderer Who Became a Monk

Welcome to Hell: Letters and Writings from Death Row

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Quotes from Dead Man Walking

“There are spaces of sorrow only God can touch.” — 12 people liked it

“In sorting out my feelings and beliefs, there is, however, one piece of moral ground of which I am absolutely certain: if I were to be murdered I would not want my murderer executed. I would not want my death avenged. Especially by government--which can't be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill.” — 3 people liked it

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Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States

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