Helen Prejean
As a Guest
Sister Helen Prejean On Witnessing Executions: 'I Couldn't Let Them Die Alone'
The Catholic nun became an opponent of the death penalty following the events in her book Dead Man Walking. She details her spiritual journey in River of Fire. Originally broadcast Aug. 12, 2019.
Sister Helen Prejean On Witnessing Executions: 'I Couldn't Let Them Die Alone'
Sister Helen Prejean is best known for her 1993 memoir, Dead Man Walking, about her role as a spiritual adviser to a convicted killer on death row. The story was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Prejean has accompanied six prisoners to their executions and has been at the forefront of activism against the death penalty.
From the Archives: Helen Prejean and Death Row.
Helen Prejean. Prejean is a Roman Catholic nun. Her book, "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States" (Random House, 1993) details her experience working with death row inmates in Louisiana. It's been made into a new film, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Prejean has come to believe that the death penalty is not only ineffective as a deterrent, but that the government can't be trusted to decide who should live and who should die. (REBROADCAST from 7/13/93).
As a Topic
"Dead Man Walking" Borders on Preachiness.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Dead Man Walking."