Balancing Act: Almost 30 years after 'Dead Man Walking,' Sister Helen Prejean is still pushing to end the death penalty. It's working.

If you're looking for evidence that we can - and do - still summon the better angels of our nature, look no further than public opinion on the death penalty.

In 1993, the year Sister Helen Prejean's memoir "Dead Man Walking" was published, 80% of Americans supported the death penalty. Twenty-six years later, fewer than half of all Americans (49%) support it, according to Pew Research Center data. It's banned in 21 states (including Illinois, since 2011) and under a governor-imposed moratorium in four others.

"We have presidential candidates who oppose the death