Earle is a vocal opponent of capital punishment, which he considers his primary area of political activism. Several of his songs have provided descriptions of the experiences of death row inmates, including "Billy Austin" and "Over Yonder (Jonathan's Song)". Conversely, he has also written a song from the perspective of a prison guard working on death row in "Ellis Unit One," a song written for the film "Dead Man Walking", the title based on the name of the State of Texas men's death row. He is pro-choice, and has argued that rich Americans have always had access to abortions, and that the political issue in the US is really whether poor women should have access. His 2012 novel "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" describes the life of a morphine-addicted doctor in 1963 San Antonio before "Roe v. Wade" who treats gunshot wounds and provides illegal abortions to poor women. Since his youngest son was diagnosed with autism, Earle has also become an advocate for people on the spectrum.