Podcasts about dead man walking an eyewitness account

Episode NotesHelen tells the story of how she first became involved in working with inmates on death row. She let's us hear how she got to know her first few clients and how tough it was. At times Helen chokes up thinking about the things she witnessed in her career that brought her to work with many people she would get to know quite well and then have to watch them be put to death in the electric chair.Her experiences on death row lead her to a life mission of trying to abolish the death penalty. It's the old adage that while the crimes people commit are horrendous, two wrongs don't make a right. Furthermore, there is a deep layer of systemic racism, poverty, and mental illness that creates a socio-economic link to those who are likely to end up on death row. The fact the death penalty was such a hot topic, combined with her personal experience, Sister Helen knew it was part of her mission to write a book in order to educate the public. Dead Man Walking was not only a best selling book, but it also went on to become an academy award-winning film, and popular theater play.Helen is a great role model for creating deep, intrinsic meaning in your work. She has been working tirelessly since the 1980's toward educating people about murder, the death penalty, and compassion. She speaks openly in the episode about her struggles while doing this line of work and shares that the most challenging hurdle was figuring out how to support victim's families. While it has been a lifelong seesaw, with many conflicts, no one could argue that she has done absolutely incredible work to remind all of us how we should strive to live our best lives.Sister Helen is an incredible storyteller, inspirational speaker, and teacher. While we spent the majority of time discussing death row and what it takes to have compassion for someone who has committed such terrible crimes, we also touched on a number of other subjects. We talked about the importance of learning, how to help people regain their lives if they're given a second chance after jail, and how similar we are, no matter what people see on the outside.10 Things To Keep In Mind When It Comes To CompassionWe are all 99.9% identical. This connection between people is the secret of life. It is what makes everything hum and come to life.Empathy is an appreciation for others. You can not be “in their shoes”. You haven't been through what they've been through. You can hear what they're saying and feel with you. You can walk with them, and go through things with them.Keep your promises. Most people who require forgiveness in the first place have trouble being trustworthy. Be sure to only make promises that you can keep. Keep your work, show consistency and do not waiver as you build trust.Be unconditional in your forgiveness. The root of “forgive” is the Latin word “perdonare,” meaning “to give completely, without reservation”. There is no need to hold back. Hurtful acts and forgiveness are two separate events.Be patient in waiting for “sorry”. The forgiver chooses when they feel sorry. Everyone heals according to their own timeline. You do not choose when someone forgives you. So be prepared to wait. But you can choose to forgive others and steer toward peace immediately.Every relationship is mutual. We're not the wonderful, generous people, forgiving the poor, weak, wounded human beings. They give us a lot too. All human exchanges provide mutual gifts in some way.Create programs, groups, classes, or partnerships that allow for people to be on a similar playing field. There is so much unlevel ground and unfair advantages in society. Given equal circumstances you would be tested in a way that would lead you to do that too. So level the playing field when you forgive and get to know someone.Rewards and punishment won't change the root cause of behavior. We must strive to keep innocent people safe. And, we must hold people accountable. The question is “what does accountability look like?” How do we define accountability? Remember that the wrongdoing is separate from the best course of action for next steps. Everyone has a reason, but not an excuse for their behavior. Some may have a learning disability, trauma, addiction, mental illness, poverty, lack of sleep, malnutrition, or immaturity. If your brain's ability for effective judgment is impaired. It's impaired, as simple as that.Give everyone a voice and choice. There is dignity simply in being human. Not because of any results, or circumstances. But, simply in being human we should have input into our lives and decision making.Memorable Quotes“Find work and purpose in your life and do what you love. Do what you love. Let what you love be what you do to find purpose and do what you love. Not to try to make a lot of money and all that. Do what you love.”“Over 90% of people on death row were abused as kids. I mean, that's massive. And then one day they take it out on some innocent victim.”“When people rub us the wrong way, always be asking, what am I supposed to learn? What is this life event teaching me? What can I learn from this? That's huge.”Guest BioSister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping vigorous opposition to stop executions and start societal compassion.In 1982, after moving into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans in order to live and work with the poor, Sister Helen became the spiritual advisor to death row inmates. After witnessing executions, she realized that this lethal ritual would remain unchallenged unless its secrecy was stripped away.She wrote a book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States”. Dead Man Walking hit the shelves when national support for the death penalty was close to 90%. The book ignited a national debate on capital punishment and inspired an Academy Award-winning movie, a play, and an opera.Sister Helen continues her work, dividing her time between educating the public, campaigning against the death penalty, counseling individual death row prisoners, and working with murder victims' family members. She also embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day.Best Modern Mobile Recording Site: SquadcastFOLLOW Sister HelenSr Helen Prejean Site - Sr Helen Dot OrgFacebook - SisterHelenPrejeanTwitter - @HelenPrejeanInstagram - @helenprejean FOLLOW JUSTIN (JustTries)Website - JustTriesHOMEInstagram - @JustTriesYouTube - Just TriesTwitter - @JustTries_Tiktok - @justtriesPinterest - JustTriesFacebook - Just TriesCONNECT WITH JUST KEEP LEARNINGWebsite - JKLHOMEInstagram - @JustKeepLearning.CaTiktok - @justkeeplearning.caFacebook - Just Keep LearningFree Group -  JKL Goal Setting CommunityWe appreciate you being here! Be sure to leave the podcast, “Just Keep Learning” ratings and reviews because it will help people who need it be better able to find it. Also, if you want a shoutout, simply share an image of the episode, you listening, or your takeaways and share it @JustTries anywhere on social!Reach out anytime! Text your questions to JustTries at +1 (313) 710-5499

Season 5, episode 5, of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. Photos by Scott Langley. "We are called to create, where nothing exists." - Sister Helen Prejean LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Helen Prejean, who is known for her work to end the death penalty. They discuss how Sister Helen became a minister to Pat Sonnier on death row, which led her to work for justice. "A fire began to burn in my heart," she says. Sister Julia and Sister Helen also talk about how the Gospel calls the Church to be among the poor and on the margins. "To engage in social justice means you're going to...take on the sufferings of people who are voiceless and made to suffer. And you're going to undertake systemic change," Sister Helen explains. Sister Helen also talks about how storytelling has a power to change hearts and minds, and the true meaning of justice. "Justice means that everybody's got a fair shake, and they've got equal access to liberties and freedom and a way to have a livelihood and a life." ABOUT THE GUEST: Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church's vigorous opposition to all executions. Photo by Scott Langley. Born on April 21, 1939, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1957. After studies in the USA and Canada, she spent the following years teaching high school, and serving as the Religious Education Director at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in New Orleans and the Formation Director for her religious community. In 1982, she moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans in order to live and work with the poor. While there, Sister Helen began corresponding with Patrick Sonnier, who had been sentenced to death for the murder of two teenagers. Two years later, when Patrick Sonnier was put to death in the electric chair, Sister Helen was there to witness his execution. In the following months, she became spiritual advisor to another death row inmate, Robert Lee Willie, who was to meet the same fate as Sonnier. After witnessing these executions, Sister Helen realized that this lethal ritual would remain unchallenged unless its secrecy was stripped away, and so she sat down and wrote a book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. Dead Man Walking hit the shelves when national support for the death penalty was over 80% and, in Sister Helen's native Louisiana, closer to 90%. The book ignited a national debate on capital punishment and it inspired an Academy Award winning movie, a play and an opera. Sister Helen also embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day. Sister Helen works with people of all faiths and those who follow no established faith, but her voice has had a special resonance with her fellow Catholics. Over the decades, Sister Helen has made personal approaches to two popes, John Paul II and Pope Francis, urging them to establish the Catholic Church's position as unequivocally opposed to capital punishment under any circumstances. After Sister Helen's urging, under John Paul II the catechism was revised to strengthen the church's opposition to executions, although it allowed for a very few exceptions. Not long after meeting with Sister Helen in August of 2018, Pope Francis announced new language of the Catholic Catechism which declares that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person, with no exceptions. Today, although capital punishment is still on the books in 29 states in the USA, it has fallen into disuse in most of those states. Prosecutors and juries alike are turning away from death sentences,

Sister Helen Prejean is the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. She talks with Martin about her experiences that shaped her views on human dignity, and how health care workers can find hope in these times of pandemic.

According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, even though they have doubts about its administration, fairness, and usefulness as a crime deterrent, most Americans today still support the death penalty. Moreover, while it may seem like a brutal relic of a bygone era, capital punishment is still legal in 24 states, for the federal government, and for the military. As John Gramlich writes, “while state-level executions have decreased” in recent decades, “the federal government put more prisoners to death under President Donald Trump than at any point since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.”Sister Helen Prejean has spent much of her life as a Catholic nun bearing witness to the violent inhumanity of state executions and campaigning to abolish the death penalty. Her work has been recognized around the world, including by the Pope, and has been instrumental in advancing national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church's vigorous opposition to all executions. She is also the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, and River of Fire: On Becoming an Activist. In this special episode of Rattling the Bars, TRNN Executive Producer Eddie Conway sits down to speak with Sister Prejean about the barbarous injustice of state-sanctioned executions and her own path to becoming a leading advocate for death penalty abolition.Read the transcript of this interview: https://therealnews.com/the-death-penalty-is-a-barbarous-stain-on-our-humanityPre-Production/Studio/Post Production: Cameron GranadinoHelp us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtbSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtbGet Rattling the Bars updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-rtbLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, even though they have doubts about its administration, fairness, and usefulness as a crime deterrent, most Americans today still support the death penalty. Moreover, while it may seem like a brutal relic of a bygone era, capital punishment is still legal in 24 states, for the federal government, and for the military. As John Gramlich writes, “while state-level executions have decreased” in recent decades, “the federal government put more prisoners to death under President Donald Trump than at any point since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.”Sister Helen Prejean has spent much of her life as a Catholic nun bearing witness to the violent inhumanity of state executions and campaigning to abolish the death penalty. Her work has been recognized around the world, including by the Pope, and has been instrumental in advancing national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church's vigorous opposition to all executions. She is also the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, and River of Fire: On Becoming an Activist. In this special episode of Rattling the Bars, TRNN Executive Producer Eddie Conway sits down to speak with Sister Prejean about the barbarous injustice of state-sanctioned executions and her own path to becoming a leading advocate for death penalty abolition.Read the transcript of this interview: https://therealnews.com/the-death-penalty-is-a-barbarous-stain-on-our-humanityPre-Production/Studio/Post Production: Cameron GranadinoHelp us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtbSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtbGet Rattling the Bars updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-rtbLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

There's perhaps no other name in history more ubiquitous with death penalty abolition than Sister Helen Prejean. Her book “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States” sparked a national conversation around capital punishment and inspired the Academy Award winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. A stark ally of the Sinclair's, Sister Helen discusses our current state in American criminal justice with Jodie and Billy and her tireless work to end all executions in the United States. Don't miss this episode. To learn more about Sister Helen Prejean, visit her website and follow her on Twitter. 

On this episode of Walk in Faith, Craig Syracusa interviews Sister Helen Prejean. Sister Helen is a leading advocate for abolition of the death penalty and for elimination of social and economic unfairness in the criminal-justice system. She is also the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States and The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.To advance her work, she asked RENEW International to create a small-group resource that explores Catholic teaching on the death penalty. Created in partnership with the Catholic Mobilizing Network, Dignity and the Death Penalty helps participants reflect on the fairness of the criminal justice system, arguments for and against capital punishment, and alternatives to the death sentence.Production of videos associated with this resource were funded in part by the Catholic Communication Campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In today’s episode, we speak with Sr. Helen Prejean, known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. Sr. Helen Prejean has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment. She is a Sister of St. Joseph and the force behind the organization “Ministry Against the Death Penalty”. Many of our listeners will be familiar with her book, which was later turned into a movie, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States”. In our mailbag segment, we’re covering a question about an abortion lawsuit in Minnesota. And stick around for the bricklayer segment for details on resources from Pope Francis that can help you mark the 5th Anniversary of Laudato si’ his letter on caring for our common home.

Preaching for Easter, Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, reflects on what resurrection means for community: "But over the years, as the community has reflected, we have moved away from that individualistic conception of resurrection and the afterlife into one of personal transformation, of being able to move past our ego and our selfishness into a state of love and into a state of community." Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church’s vigorous opposition to all executions. A Sister of Saint Joseph since 1972, she is the author of "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States," "The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions," and "River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey." Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/04122020 to learn more about Sr. Helen, to view her video or read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

“Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues“ Lecture given by Sister Helen Prejean on Tuesday, October 30, 2018. Welcome: Cass Hooker Prayer: Carol Dufresne Skubic Intro: Vy Barto
 Presented by the Bishop Keane Institute, a Ministry of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. About Sr. Helen Prejean: 
Sr. Helen Prejean is a southern storyteller.  She brings you on a journey during her talk about how she got involved with the Ministry Against the Death Penalty.  Her stories are about many special people she has met along the way. She is passionate about the mission of getting rid of the Death Penalty because she has witnessed and accompanied 6 men to their executions.  She feels there is no dignity or justice in this punishment. Her book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, was made into a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, as well as an opera and a play for high schools and colleges.

Sister Helen Prejean – Why She Opposes The Death Penalty Sister Helen Prejean is well known for her book Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in […] The post Sister Helen Prejean – Why She Opposes The Death Penalty and The Invisible Victims on Execution Day appeared first on KKFI.

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers, who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier's death, the Roman Catholic nun came to know the convicted felon, the families of his victims, and the men whose job it was to execute him. Out of Sister Prejean's experiences came the #1 national bestseller "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States." This year marks the 20th anniversary of "Dead Man Walking." In celebration, the book has been re-released with a new preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and new afterwords by the author, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins.

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers, who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier's death, the Roman Catholic nun came to know the convicted felon, the families of his victims, and the men whose job it was to execute him. Out of Sister Prejean's experiences came the #1 national bestseller "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States." This year marks the 20th anniversary of "Dead Man Walking." In celebration, the book has been re-released with a new preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and new afterwords by the author, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins.

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean became the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers, who was sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana’s Angola State Prison. In the months before Sonnier’s death, the Roman Catholic nun came to know the convicted felon, the families of his victims, and the men whose job it was to execute him. Out of Sister Prejean’s experiences came the #1 national bestseller Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Dead Man Walking. In celebration, the book has been re-released with a new preface by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and new afterwords by the author, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. Sister Prejean visited the WFPL studios while in town to speak at the Louisville Free Public Library.