Illinois Governor Ends Death Penalty, Commutes 15 Sentences
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history,” the Democratic governor said after he signed the bill. “I think it’s the right and just thing to abolish the death penalty.”
Illinois last performed an execution in 1999. In 2000, then-Gov. George Ryan placed a moratorium on executions after a series of death row inmates were exonerated.
Those who wanted Quinn to veto the bill, including former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, say DNA testing has made wrongful executions less likely. But do we want the state in the killing business?
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