Name _____________________________________
Bishop Kearney High School
October 2008
Social Justice
Dead Man Walking
Initial Reactions and Feelings
1. Dead Man Walking is a very powerful film. What were some of the feelings and strong reactions
you had while viewing it? What scenes and images in the film stand out for you as you think
back over it? What meanings do these have for you?
About the Film
2. What do you think of Helen's attempt to minister to "both sides" with the murderer and with the
families of the murder victims?
3. What changes did you see taking place in Matthew Poncelet during the film? What brought
about these changes?
4. What new information about the death penalty did you learn in viewing this film?
5. What new understandings about the experiences and needs of murder victims' families did you
gain in viewing the film?
6. What new understandings about the experiences and needs of families of persons on death row
did you gain in viewing the film?
Faith Perspectives
7. Critics have praised Dead Man Walking for the authentic goodness of its main character. In what
ways is Helen Prejean a role model for persons of faith who are concerned about justice issues?
8. When Helen first meets Matthew, she points out, "You and I have something in common; we
both live with the poor." How do the teachings and traditions of our faith lead us to find common
ground with persons very different from ourselves?
9. Mr. Percy, Hope's father, says, "Matthew Poncelet is God's mistake!" Would you agree? What
causes human beings, created by God, to commit such inhuman acts as rape and murder?
10. When human authorities sentence a person to death, are they "playing God"? Are they assuming
a role meant only for God?
11. "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the
wicked turn from their ways and live." Ezekiel 33:11 How does this quote apply to the question of
the death penalty?
12. In the last scene of the movie, Helen and Mr. Delacroix are seen praying together in a place of
worship. What significance does this scene add to the Christian mandate of reconciliation?
Christian Perspectives
13. If a murderer asks forgiveness, does God forgive? Should we? If we do forgive, what impact
does our forgiveness have on the kind of sentence we feel is appropriate for that person?
14. How does the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was executed as a criminal affect our understanding of
capital punishment from a Christian perspective?
15. What is the difference between forgiving and forgetting?
About the Issues Raised
16. Did watching this film change your beliefs regarding capital punishment? If so, how?
17. Did you find yourself supporting Matthew Poncelet's execution, or hoping that his life would be
spared? If he had been an African American whose trial was tainted by racism, how would that
have affected your beliefs about the rightness of his sentence?
18. Early in Matthew's relationship with Helen, he tells her that he didn't kill anybody, but ultimately
he confesses his real involvement in the crime. If Matthew's original story to Helen had been true
that he had been present and had participated in the crime by threatening the two young people
but had not killed anyone how would that affect your view of whether he should live or die?
19. We are not told what the alternative to the death penalty was in Louisiana, but if you knew that
the alternative punishment was life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, would you
support the death penalty for Matthew Poncelet, or the alternative?
20. Do you believe victims' families should have a role or a voice in the determination of sentence in
a capital case, or in the clemency process? Why or why not?
21. How does healing come to families grieving the loss of a murdered child? How can we be
helpful in bringing healing?
22. How does healing occur for the family members of someone convicted of a capital crime, or
executed by the state? What is our role in assisting with their healing?