Quinn acted Wednesday moments after he abolished Illinois' death penalty. By changing their sentences to life in prison, Quinn emptied the state's death row, meaning that Illinois may never execute another person.
This is the second time an Illinois governor has cleared death row. Republican George Ryan did it a decade ago because of concerns that an innocent person might be put to death.
Since then, prosecutors have occasionally still sought death sentences, leading to a slow build-up on death row. But no one has been executed because of the state's moratorium on carrying out death sentences.
[ Abolition is a logical step along the path of our collective "evolving sense of decency" ... which state will abolish capital punishment next? ]
"The Land of Lincoln, it appears, will soon become the latest state to abolish the death penalty. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (pictured) has said he will sign legislation today to repeal the state’s death penalty, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
'... I think we'll be on the right side of history,' state legislator Karen Yarbrough, the bill’s chief House sponsor, told the newspaper.
via blogs.wsj.com
By: Marlene Martin
Both the state House and Senate have passed legislation that will abolish the death penalty. As of mid-January, that bill sat on the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn. With his signature—and it was still not certain as the New Abolitionist was being produced that Quinn would sign the legislation—Illinois would become the 16th state without the death penalty.
Exonerated Illinois death row prisoners like Nathson Fields feel the significance of this moment, even before Quinn had announced his decision. “I feel elated, full of hope,” said Fields. “I spent eleven and a half years on death row for a crime I did not commit. Illinois being on the verge of tossing out the death penalty—this will affect other states. This will send the message that it can be done, it should be done.”
