Helen Prejean

Helen Prejean ( pray-ZHAHN; born April 21, 1939) is an American Catholic religious sister and a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.

She is known for her best-selling book Dead Man Walking (1993) based on her experiences with two convicts on death row for whom she served as spiritual adviser before their executions. In her book, she explored the effects of the death penalty on everyone involved. The book was adapted as a 1995 film of the same name, starring Susan Sarandon as Prejean and Sean Penn; for her role, Sarandon won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It was also adapted as an opera by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, first produced in 2000 by the San Francisco Opera.

Prejean served as the National Chairperson of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1993 to 1995. She helped establish The Moratorium Campaign, seeking an end to executions and conducting education on the death penalty. Prejean also founded the group SURVIVE to help families of victims of murder and related crimes.