Sister Helen Prejean: Stop the federal death penalty

I love this lady. Met her two years ago when she was speaking at Fairfield University. Sister Helen Prejean – "Dead Man Walking" – her talk at Fairfield University

This article is in the present issue of the Jesuit America magazine.

In the spirit of Elijah, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus and my own Catholic faith, I am compelled to speak out about the present rush by the U.S. Department of Justice to resume federal executions, which have lain dormant for 17 years.

Is anyone with even the slightest leaning of support for the death penalty not stunned—shocked, flabbergasted—that, since the resumption of executions in 1977, for every 10 executions carried out in this country, one more wrongfully sentenced person on death row has had to be freed? Would anyone be inclined to book a flight on an airline with that kind of track record?

Noticing the careful prioritized selection for execution of federal inmates, Denny LeBoeuf, an astute criminal defense lawyer, pointed out to me that, in order to make the rush for federal executions more acceptable to the public, the first three condemned for execution are all white males, whose crime was the murder of children, the most egregious of crimes, which causes any decent person to gag with disgust. (Ms. LeBoeuf admits this is a cynical view.) She adds that the government’s rationale seems to be that, following the executions of these most despicable killers, the federal killing track will be well greased to smooth the way to execute inmates whose racially-driven selection to die is apt to raise more morally troublesome questions.

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I am especially alert to “awakening,” having recently published River of Fire, my spiritual account of gradually awakening to Jesus’ radical call to justice, which led me to death row —and witnessing six executions, which set my soul on fire with the ministry to abolish the death penalty for, lo, these 30 years—and which leads me to raise my voice.

Sister Helen turned 80 this year.