Last night Rev. Joseph Ingle spoke about the re-release of his book “Last Rights” and personally signed copies. The talk, at Davis Kidd Booksellers, was attended by over 40 people and was covered by CSPAN. “Last Rights” tells 13 stories of 13 different death row inmates that Rev. Ingle counseled. All were executed.

Pictures from the talk can be found HERE.

Through “Last Rights” Rev. Ingle accomplishes a difficult mission—showing the world that those on death row are human beings, fellow “children of God.” Ingle does not attempt to ignore the crimes of which these 13 men and women were convicted. He instead shows us that they are not the monsters we so readily objectify them to be. At the talk, Rev. Ingle read excerpts from his book. One excerpt dealt with a man who saw Rev. Ingle in a fatherly light. “I felt like a father figure to him. He was always trying to make me proud, constantly telling me of his love for sports. He said that he’d remain strong and that he wanted the others on death row to know he was strong.” Rev. Ingle then told us that this man had an IQ of approximately 60. “He wasn’t aware of the gravity of the situation. The day of his execution he told us that he’d see us in a couple of days. He was a child in a man’s body.”

More on “Last Rights” can be found HERE.

When talking about his experiences, he noted that through his work he has met some of the finest individuals. I too can attest to that statement. This work is difficult and is oftentimes painful. But strife brings out the best in us. When this fight is over we’ll be able to celebrate the sacrifices of people like Rev. Ingle who have made the abolition of the death penalty and ministering to the condemned the work of their lives. Rev. Ingle put it best when describing the folks he met when counseling a particular death row inmate. “The people I have worked with are woven from the same cloth. We’re bound together by seams and stitches.”