Nun Talks Death Penalty at Goucher

She has followed convicts to their deaths and fought for what she calls "consistent life" values. Sister Helen Prejean is a Catholic nun who tries hard to practice what she preaches.

Prejean, an anti-death penalty activist and author, spoke to a diverse crowd of students, area residents and activists in Goucher College's Athenaeum on Tuesday night.

Prejean was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her book "Dead Man Walking," which was later turned into a 1995 film starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. Prejean shared stories of how she became involved in activism, saying it started simply by sending letters to a death row inmate who she came to know and befriend. She also spoke of dealing with families of murder victims, many of whom had reservations and misgivings about the death penalty.

"The politicians need to hear them because they need to be bolstered in their stance and they need to have the courage to do what they need to do," she said.

Prejean also noted efforts by Maryland legislators and activists to remove the death penalty from the state's books. In Maryland, the death penalty has been carried out only five times since the penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, most recently in 2005. Five men are currently on the state's death row.

In 2002, Gov. Parris N. Glendening instituted a short-lived moratorium on the punishment, which was reversed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. upon taking office in 2003. A legislative compromise in 2009 limited the death penalty to cases where there is DNA evidence, a recording of the crime or a videotaped confession.

Watch our video excerpt of Prejean's talk!