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| Illinois Gov. Says He Might Recommend Abolishing Death Penalty |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 07/01/2002 |
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Gov. George Ryan said recently he might propose abolishing capital punishment in Illinois, prompting a quick response from state lawmakers who said such a proposal would be dead on arrival at the General Assembly. Ryan, who instituted a moratorium on executions in the state two years ago, made the comment after testifying at a state House Judiciary Committee hearing on proposed death penalty reforms. The Republican governor said he was a strong advocate of the death penalty when he was in the General Assembly but now is uncertain anyone should be put to death. He stopped short of saying he supports abolition but said he continues to study the issue and might propose it before his term is up next January. Ryan acknowledged that eliminating capital punishment would be a tough battle. The committee is considering a number of reforms made earlier this year by the governor's death penalty commission, including videotaping police interrogations, increasing funding to provide forensic testing for indigent defendants and barring executions of mentally retarded people. Ryan halted executions in 2000 after new evidence or faulty trials compelled the state to release 13 people from death row. |
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