After Prejean watched Sonnier die in a Louisiana electric chair, she began to speak out against the death penalty. Instead of preventing crime, we're pouring kerosene on crime. In fact, we're imitating violence. An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty , which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Prejean believes she can change the minds of death-penalty supporters, who, she says, are influenced by political rhetoric and outrage.
Outrage is legitimate.
One way to change people's minds about capital punishment, Prejean said, is to televise executions. At first Welsh, who, like Prejean, is Roman Catholic, believed Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols didn't even deserve a trial. I wanted them fried. Then Welsh visited McVeigh's father. I had to do better than that.