Main content

Dead Man Walking: The US nun who took on the death penalty

When Sister Helen Prejean agreed to write to a death row inmate, she had no idea that she would eventually attend his execution. She’s been fighting the death penalty ever since.

When Sister Helen Prejean agreed to write to a convicted murderer on Louisiana’s death row in 1982, she had no idea what was coming. She would end up becoming his spiritual advisor, eventually accompanying him to his execution two years later. The experience changed her profoundly. She wrote a book about what she'd witnessed on death row, Dead Man Walking, which was turned into a major Hollywood movie in 1995. Forty years later, she has witnessed six more state executions - and is still tirelessly fighting to end them.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Zoe Gelber

Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Available now

45 minutes

More episodes

See all episodes from Lives Less Ordinary

Featured

  • .

Podcast

  • Lives Less Ordinary

    Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary personal stories