Entries tagged with “Sister Helen Prejean”
Mar 05, 2025
Public Officials and Advocates Respond to SCOTUS’ Decision to Overturn Richard Glossip’s Conviction
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to vacate Richard Glossip’s 2004 death sentence, public officials and advocates have expressed strong reactions. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond acknowledged the significance of the ruling, stating,“Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial, but today we can celebrate that a great injustice has been swept away.” While maintaining his belief that Mr.
Research
Oct 16, 2023
Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole Denies Clemency Hearings for Five Death-Sentenced Prisoners
On October 13, 2023, after a brief administrative hearing, the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole denied clemency hearings for five of the 56 death-sentenced prisoners seeking clemency before Governor John Bel Edwards leaves office in January 2024. The four-member panel split its vote on four of the five applications, with a majority denying the fifth application on the grounds that Winthrop Eaton is unlikely to be executed because he is mentally…
Research
Religion
,New Voices
,Sep 25, 2023
The Metropolitan Opera Premieres “Dead Man Walking” Based on the Book by Sister Helen Prejean
On September 26, 2023, the New York Metropolitan Opera will premiere“Dead Man Walking” created by American composer Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally and featuring a new staging by Ivo van Hove. The opera is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 memoir which details her journey as a pen pal and spiritual adviser to a death-sentenced prisoner at Louisiana’s Angola State Prison. It is the most performed contemporary opera in the world. “I can only think that somehow we…
Issues
Sep 19, 2023
ABA Death Penalty Representation Project Honors Longtime Capital Defender Mark Olive and Volunteer Law Firm Venable LLP
On September 14th, 2023, the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Representation Project held its annual Volunteer Recognition & Awards Program, honoring Venable LLP for its pro bono representation of death row prisoners, and capital defense attorney and Florida State University College of Law professor Mark E. Olive, for his lifetime commitment to providing those on death row with quality representation. Director of the ABA’s Death Penalty Representation…
Research
Religion
,Conditions on Death Row
,Apr 13, 2023
BOOKS: “He Called Me Sister: A True Story of Finding Humanity on Death Row”
In He Called Me Sister: A True Story of Finding Humanity on Death Row, author Suzanne Craig Robertson details her journey from reluctance to true friendship during her challenging fifteen-year relationship with Cecil Johnson, a Tennessee death-row prisoner, who was executed in December 2009. Using letters, poems, and a personal memoir written by Johnson, Robertson tells their mutual story of perseverance, recalling that“differences don’t have…
Research
Religion
,Oct 06, 2020
New Papal Encyclical Tells Catholics There is ‘No Stepping Back’ From Opposition to Death Penalty
A new papal encyclical letter tells Catholics around the world that “[t]here can be no stepping back” from the Church’s formal opposition to the…
Issues
New Voices
,Sep 17, 2019
Supporters Rally for New Trial for Rodney Reed, Sentenced to Death by All-White Jury in ‘Jim Crow Trial’ in Texas
Supporters of Rodney Reed (pictured) are calling for a new trial for the Texas death-row prisoner sentenced to death in 1998 by an all-white jury in a racially charged trial. On September 10, 2019, Reed’s family and supporters protested Texas’ death penalty outside the governor’s mansion in Austin. Their plea for a new trial based on evidence of his innocence has been joined by a growing chorus of supporters, which include the Innocence…
Research
Religion
,Aug 13, 2019
Sister Helen Prejean: A Memoir on a Life of Social Activism
Sister Helen Prejean, the acclaimed author of Dead Man Walking, has written a new spiritual memoir, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey. The book, released August 13, 2019 by Random House publishers, tells the story of her spiritual development from joining the Congregation of St. Joseph at age 18 to becoming a leading voice in the movement to abolish the…
Research
Religion
,May 01, 2019
Louisiana Christian Faith Leaders Call for State to Abolish Death Penalty
Christian church leaders from Catholic and Protestant denominations across Louisiana have called upon state lawmakers to pass legislation to end the death penalty in the Bayou State. On April 25, 2019, the Louisiana Interchurch Conference and two dozen faith representatives held a press conference on the steps of the state capitol in Baton Rouge advocating for legislation to abolish the state’s capital punishment law and pledging their support for as long as it…
Executions
Executions Overview
,Jun 21, 2011
Sister Helen Prejean Appeals to U.S. Drug Company on Behalf of Georgia Death Row Inmate
Noted author and human rights activist, Sister Helen Prejean, has released a letter sent to George S. Barrett, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cardinal Health in Dublin, Ohio, asking him to secure the return of drugs that may be used to execute Andrew De Young in Georgia and“to take every step possible to make your actual practices comply with your stated business and ethical codes, including demanding the immediate…
Aug 04, 2006
NEW RESOURCES: The Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project
The stage play of Tim Robbins’ Academy Award winning film, Dead Man Walking, is available to colleges and universities across the country. The play is based on the acclaimed book of the same title by Sister Helen Prejean. Through the Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, the play provides an opportunity to broaden discussion about the death penalty and involve schools and their local communities in an inter-disciplinary dialogue about…
Issues
Jan 03, 2005
NEW RESOURCE: Sister Helen Prejean’s New Book: The Death of Innocents
In her new book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, Sister Helen Prejean uses her personal experiences as a counselor to those on death row to explore the issue of innocence and the likelihood of executing a wrongly convicted person. The book also traces the historical and legal underpinnings of the death penalty in the U.S. Prejean, who authored the #1 New York Times bestseller“Dead Man Walking,” begins her new book…