Dead Man Walking author to speak

Sister Helen Prejean is known worldwide for her efforts against the death penalty. Her book about those on death row, "Dead Man Walking," was published in 1994 and became a New York Times bestseller, then an award-winning feature film.

The Evangelist recently interviewed Sister Helen, who will be speaking about her work in a presentation titled "Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues" at La Salle Institute in Troy on Nov. 12.

Q What made you put so much of your focus on abolishing capital punishment?

Sister Helen: Patrick Sonnier was executed the night of August 5, 1984, and I have been working on abolishing the death penalty ever since. I accompanied [him] to execution, and I witnessed his execution. He looked at my face when they killed him and that is when I knew I had to do something to end this.

I got involved with the murder victims' families and noticed their suffering and what the death penalty did not do for them. With this comes hope that the American people could be brought close to this issue and that they'd reject the death penalty.

Q Regarding the death penalty, how have things changed over the years?

Sister Helen: We have now 130 wrongfully convicted people who have gotten off of death row, and it has shaken the confidence of people. We used to think we had the best court system in the world.

Another thing that I have been part of is getting public discourse. When [the movie] "Dead Man Walking" came out in 1996, that led people to read the book. That was important, because to get the issue out in visuals and words really helped people recognize what was going on.

[Now,] most states have alternatives to the death penalty, such as life without parole. Juries give the death penalty less and D.A.'s are also seeking it less.

Q Other than obvious points, what are some concerns about the death penalty?

Sister Helen: Real regional disparity in practice. Confederate states that practiced slavery are the ones that do 80 percent of the executions. In the northeast, less than one percent of executions have happened. It begs the question, do we have different constitutions and guidelines in different parts of the country?

Keep your eye on the what race the person is. The full outrage of the community in death rows across this country is that eight out of every 10 are there because they kill white people, and the majority of them are colored.

Q Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

Sister Helen: [Remember] the importance of public discourse. Tim Robbins [of the film] has also written the stage play for "Dead Man Walking," and he's turned it over to the universities, colleges and high schools. It's really sparking up the educational process by introducing live theater.

Also, the [U.S.] bishops have inaugurated a campaign to abolish the death penalty in the United States with the reasoning that to render a person defenseless and kill them when you have other means is against the life and dignity of that person.

(11/06/08)