The Death Penalty in Oregon and America
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This month, a judge declared Oregon death row inmate Gary Haugen legally sane to be put to death, clearing the way for the state’s first execution in fourteen years. Paradoxically, it was Haugen himself who fought for this judgment, asserting that he is ready to die.
On October 21, Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, will discuss the moral complexities of Gary Haugen’s case, as well as that of recently executed Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis, whom many believed was innocent. Prejean will relate how the death penalty is intertwined with the social justice fabric of this country and how public opinion on the death penalty is changing.
Sister Helen Prejean’s book Dead Man Walking was made into an Oscar-award winning movie of the same name. More recently, she wrote Death of Innocents, which tells the story of two men whom she believes were wrongly convicted and executed. She has won numerous awards and honors, and has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
