Representation
,Sep 19, 2023
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 defen…
Religion
,Conditions on Death Row
,Apr 13, 2023
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 Te…
Clemency
,Oct 16, 2023
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…
Recent Legislative Activity
,Religion
,May 01, 2019
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 …
Religion
,Oct 06, 2020
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 death penalty. Pope Francis’ October 3, 2020 encyclical, entitled
Innocence
,Jan 03, 2005
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…
Aug 04, 2006
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 …
Executions Overview
,Jun 21, 2011
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 retu…
Religion
,Aug 13, 2019
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 st…
Innocence
,Race
,New Voices
,Sep 17, 2019
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 a…
Religion
,New Voices
,Sep 25, 2023
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 me…
