Dead Man Walking (play) work. The University of Scranton was one of the original Jesuit Universities to perform the play in their 2004-2005 season. Sister Helen Prejean, who had become an internationally known human rights activist as a result of writing "Dead Man Walking", first conceived the idea of a stage version of her work in 1998 after reading a "New Yorker" magazine article that said Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman", had been performed a million times, and was performed every day somewhere in the world. Sister Helen realized that if "Dead Man Walking" could be made into a play its impact
Helen Prejean correspond with convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier, held on Death Row in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. Sonnier had been sentenced to death by electrocution. She visited Sonnier in prison and agreed to be his spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his execution. The experience gave Prejean greater insight into the process involved in executions, for the convict, families, and others in the prison, and she began speaking out against capital punishment. At the same time, she founded "Survive", an organization devoted to counseling the families of victims of violence. Prejean has since ministered to other