Editing Dead Man Walking (book) (section)

==Background==
Prejean has become a leading advocate for the [[abolition of capital punishment in the United States]]. Her campaign was initiated following her correspondence and visits that she maintained with two convicted murderers. She began this ministry in 1982. The first man was [[Elmo Patrick Sonnier]], who was sentenced to death for the murder of a teenage couple. She visited Sonnier in prison and agreed to be his spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his execution in the electric chair. The second was [[Robert Lee Willie]] for whom she also served as spiritual adviser.

Prejean gained insight into the minds of the convicted murderers, the process involved in executions, and the effects on the prison guards and other personnel. She became convinced that the state's use of the death penalty was morally wrong and began speaking out against [[capital punishment]]. At the same time, she founded ''Survive'', an organization devoted to providing counseling to the families of victims of violence.