DANBURY, CONN. — Author and world renowned death penalty activist, Sister Helen Prejean will give a lecture and Q & A session about her experiences with the death penalty on Thursday, April 14, at Western Connecticut State University.

Her lecture, “Dead Man Walking: the Journey Continues” is open and free to the public. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on WCSU’s Midtown Campus, 181 White St., Danbury.

Sister Helen, as she prefers to be called, is author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.” After spending 31 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, “Dead Man Walking” was optioned for a movie that debuted in 1995. Sean Penn played condemned murderer Matthew Poncelet and Susan Sarandon won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Sister Helen.

As Connecticut’s legislature debates the issue of capital punishment, Sister Helen’s lecture will provide an emotional and thought-provoking perspective on this important issue. In anticipation of Prejean’s visit, the WCSU Honors Program offered a course, taught by Justice and Law Professor Dr. George Kain, on the myriad issues surrounding capital punishment. As part of the class, high profile anti-death penalty activists spoke on campus, including exonerated death row inmate Shujaa Graham, author Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, and retired prison warden Ron McAndrew. Two additional speakers will visit after Sister Helen’s lecture: author and death row chaplain Dale Recinella, and author and prison chaplain Reverend Lawrence Carew.

Event sponsors are the WCSU Honors Student Organization, the Newman Club, the Justice and Law Club, WCSU Honors Program and the WCSU School of Arts and Sciences.

For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.