Resources for Teachers and Students on Helen Prejean
Prepare: Helen Prejean's book Dead Man Walking:
An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United
States sat atop the New York Times bestseller list for 31
weeks. The book was developed into a motion picture starring
Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award (Best Actress)
for her portrayal of Sister Helen. Viewing the movie is
an excellent starting point toward understanding the motivation
behind a Catholic nun's efforts to abolish the death penalty.
Read:
Helen Prejean's Architects
of Peace essay is excerpted from Jim Martin's book,
How Can I find God? Her thesis is that God is found most
directly in the faces of poor and struggling people.
Explore: In December of 2000, Helen Prejean presented
the Secretary General of the United Nations a petition bearing
2.5 million signatures calling for a worldwide moratorium
on the death penalty. Using internet and library resources,
attempt to determine the number of criminals that continue
to be executed worldwide on an annual basis. Is the rate
of executions growing or diminishing? How realistic is it
to hope for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty
in your lifetime?
Write: In an open letter to the Governor of Pennsylvania,
Helen Prejean observed that more than 90% of the inmates
on Pennsylvania's death row had not been able to afford
a lawyer during their trials, and were therefore represented
by the same state that sentenced them to death. Compose
a three-to-five page expository essay on the relationship
between poverty and capital punishment. In your own state
or region, how much more likely is a poor person to be sentenced
to death after being convicted of capital crimes compared
to a wealthy person? Are there ethical implications that
can be drawn about a society's willingness to sanction the
use of violence and the relative wealth or power of those
against whom such violence is to be used?
Extend: The Death Penalty Information Center is
a non-profit organization that provides both the media and
the general public with information and analysis on capital
punishment issues. For those who wish to become better informed
on these issues, the center provides a weekly email subscription
service, free of charge, that reviews the previous week's
news regarding the death penalty. To subscribe, send an
email with the subject line SUBSCRIBE to update@deathpenaltyinfo.org.
Additional resource: Helen Prejean maintains an
official
website, which contains an extensive bibliography,
and provides the opportunity to contact her directly.
Biography of Helen
Prejean
