Prejean, Sister Helen (1939–)

Sister Helen Prejean, an American author, lecturer, and activist, is an internationally recognized leader in the abolitionist (anti–death penalty) movement. [Page 1164]Prejean works actively on behalf of both death row inmates and family members of murder victims. Her anti–death penalty message stems from concern for both these groups, as well as for the humanity of society as a whole.

A member of the Roman Catholic religious order, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, Prejean's decision to serve the poor and the disenfranchised led her to begin ministering to a Louisiana death row inmate in 1981. Her first book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States (1994), narrates her experiences as a spiritual adviser to two condemned men. The book also describes her early years of involvement with others affected by capital punishment, including family members of death row inmates, family members of murder victims, prison officials, lawyers, and activists. Dead Man Walking was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and became a number-one New York Times best seller, making debate about the death penalty a part of the national conversation. In 1995, Prejean's book was adapted into a feature-length film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn and directed by Tim Robbins. In 2000, Dead Man Walking also premiered as an opera performed by the San Francisco Opera Company, and the work has since been adapted into a play designed to be performed by schools and colleges to further promote the discussion of capital punishment.

Like Dead Man Walking, Prejean's second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Convictions (2005), details some of Prejean's personal experiences while ministering on death row, but The Death of Innocents also attacks the flaws in the American legal system that allow innocent people to be executed. In addition to her two books, Prejean spreads her message against the death penalty through national and international speaking engagements and through her involvement with numerous activist groups seeking to abolish capital punishment, including the Moratorium Campaign, Amnesty International, Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation, and the Journey of Hope. In these ways, Prejean urges Americans to pay attention to the workings of the criminal justice system, to recognize the influences of social problems—like racism, classism, and poverty—on the legal system, and to condemn the death penalty because of these injustices.