Episode 23: The Death Row Chaplain

Russ Ford is witness to life and death in the US prison system, where he was a spiritual companion to those condemned to die.

In this maelstrom of fearful savagery and self-righteous retribution, his unlikely story is a compelling one - of compassion, courage, patience and redemption.

Truly, who are we to judge? Who has the right to extract the ultimate price? Is this justice? Hardly. It’s vengeance, and it’s murder, of the most premeditated kind.

Russ’s book, Crossing the River Styx - The Memoirs of a Death Row Chaplain, is a remarkable account of this time. Confronting his own dilemmas, he found ways to help people dignify their own humanity, despite their actions, in the face of immanent death.