Gov. George Ryan may not leave office with the best reputation. The license-for-bribes scandal and the unpopular budget cuts that will further exacerbate Southern Illinois' economy do not make for a popular governor.
One thing we can admire him for, however, is the moratorium he placed on the death penalty in Illinois. The system used to administrate this gravest of punishments was a leaky faucet, possibly dripping with the blood of the innocent. The state had wrongly convicted and then freed 13 death row inmates and executed 12 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977.
Ryan formed a commission, including Paul Simon, director of the Public Policy Institute and former U.S. senator, that spent the last two years researching Illinois' death penalty. More than 300 death penalty cases were reviewed, including testimony from both the families of murder victims and freed death row prisoners. The panel also looked at how demographics affect the likelihood of a death sentence.
The group's discoveries included that convictions in rural areas are more likely to result in a death sentence than in urban areas. No statistical evidence has supported the claim that race plays a role in the probability of execution, but Simon suspects this is the case. Evidence does suggest that socio-economics has a hand in whether a convict's right to life is denied.
"The death penalty is reserved for people who don't have enough money to defend themselves adequately," Simon said.
The commission came out with 85 proposals to eliminate leaks in the system. Many of the suggestions are plain common sense, such as banning the death sentence for those convicted by a single eyewitness, a prison informant or an accomplice whose testimony is not buttressed with other evidence.
State Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, snidely remarked as vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee that many of the commission's proposals may be "headed straight for the trash bin."
Dillard's blatant disrespect for two years of research designed only to ensure that innocent people do not die is sickening. We encourage the Illinois legislature to earnestly consider all propositions and codify those deemed necessary.
In January, a new governor will hold the power of life and death over the convicted. When and if the moratorium is lifted, we encourage our new head of state to embrace these recommendations.
If the government serves as a henchman, it had better take every precaution necessary to ensure that the right neck is on the line.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
