Three decades after its release, ‘Dead Man Walking’ remains a profound cultural milestone in the debate over capital punishment in the United States.
The film, featuring Susan Sarandon’s award-winning performance as Sister Helen Prejean alongside Sean Penn, delves deeply into the moral complexities surrounding the death penalty.
While the film achieved critical acclaim and box office success, its influence extended far beyond entertainment; it brought a more nuanced perspective on capital punishment to a broad audience, heavily informed by Catholic teachings.
Sister Helen Prejean’s activism against the death penalty gained traction with her memoir, which she published in 1993, two years before the film’s debut.
In recounting her experiences with death row inmates, she made a compelling case for recognizing the humanity of those condemned.
Prejean famously stated, “I touched him in the only way I could. I told him: ‘Look at my face. I will be the face of Christ, the face of love for you.’”
Her activism is rooted in a core belief that “everybody’s worth more than the worst thing they’ve ever done in their life.”
This conviction challenges prevailing tough-on-crime attitudes, which were especially dominant during the 1990s when public support for the death penalty was around 80%.
In stark contrast, recent surveys indicate that support for capital punishment has dwindled to about 50%.
As a scholar on capital punishment, I have observed that significant cultural shifts have contributed to this decline.
Much of the moral grounding for anti-death penalty advocacy has arisen from the evolving teachings of the Catholic Church.
Historically, the Catholic Church supported the death penalty, endorsing the execution of heretics and affirming that secular authorities had the right to impose capital punishment for severe crimes.
Pope Paul VI began altering this trajectory in 1969, and by the time Pope John Paul II took office, the church’s position evolved further.
He labeled capital punishment as “cruel and unnecessary,” setting the stage for broader church reform.
The most notable shift in teaching came in 2018 when Pope Francis revised the Catechism, declaring the death penalty “inadmissible” as it violates the dignity of the person and undermines the opportunity for redemption.
Pope Francis has consistently reiterated this stance, claiming that capital punishment is inadequate from a moral perspective and calling for its abolition in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, in 2020.
He emphasized the belief that the death penalty contradicts Christian faith and kills hope for rehabilitation.
In this context, the current landscape of capital punishment in the United States reflects a broader societal transformation.
Activists have adopted strategies that focus on the lived realities of the death penalty rather than abstract arguments.
Issues like wrongful executions, racial biases in sentencing, and the financial burdens of capital punishment have become central talking points for contemporary advocates.
Among the Catholic community, the moral implications of state-sanctioned killing have been persistently highlighted.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has played a crucial role in the push to end capital punishment since launching its campaign in 2005, emphasizing the moral imperative to oppose the death penalty.
Notably, popes have periodically called on American authorities to reconsider death row cases, urging mercy and compassion.
Sara Mayeux, a legal historian, notes that Catholic activism against the death penalty may not be as prevalent as anti-abortion efforts but has nonetheless made a distinct impact.
In fact, Catholic support for the death penalty has seen a more significant decline over the past 50 years compared to various other religious groups, including evangelicals and mainline Protestants.
In December 2024, as President Joe Biden’s term was concluding, the Catholics Mobilizing Network called for him to commute the sentences of 40 individuals on federal death row, adding pressure for a final act of mercy.
With Pope Francis also advocating for clemency, Biden ultimately commuted the sentences of 37 inmates, transitioning them to life imprisonment without parole.
Sister Helen Prejean has emerged as a pivotal figure in the anti-death penalty movement, often described as a key voice urging society to recognize the humanity of all affected by violence, including both victims and offenders.
In 2021, she expressed her fervent commitment to abolishing capital punishment, drawing from her deep personal experiences and understanding of the system.
The film ‘Dead Man Walking’ served as both a reflection and a catalyst for national conversations about the death penalty, inviting audiences to grapple with its complexities without overtly advocating for an abolitionist agenda.
By offering varied perspectives, the film effectively challenged viewers to form their own opinions about the morality of capital punishment for even the most heinous offenses.
As America continues to evolve its discourse on capital punishment, the legacy of ‘Dead Man Walking’ reinforces the importance of understanding the topic through a compassionate lens.
image source from：theconversation
