Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill after spending two months consulting with victims' families, prosecutors, religious leaders and others.........
Mr Quinn also commuted to life in prison the sentences of 15 death row inmates.
Mr Ryan's move in 2000 came after more than a dozen condemned inmates were freed from Illinois death row, some when journalists showed they had been wrongly convicted."
BBC NEWS;
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: It is with great relief that this Blog welcome's Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's decision to back up the legislators who voted to abolish the death penalty to the backdrop of the all too many devastating miscarriages of justice experienced by that state. This Blog has been deeply interested in developments in Illinois because in the DNA-era science has been at the heart of America's death penalty debate. Not surprisingly, the DNA-related exonerations in cases where the authorities had been so certain of the defendant's guilt led to a lack of confidence in the factors which all too-often led to convictions such as faulty eye-witness identification, purchased cell-mate testimony, and tainted confessions. There has also been a growing recognition that forensic science is not as accurate an instrument as one would hope for in capital cases when determining matters such as the time and cause of death - and that in all too many cases defendant's do not have the resources to counter the state's scientific evidence. Thanks to Governor Quinn and the legislators, Illinois no longer has to risk executing innocent persons because of the demonstrated frailties of its criminal justice system. It's high time for the remaining thirty-four states which have not yet abolished the death penalty to eliminate that risk as well.
HAROLD LEVY; PUBLISHER; THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG;
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"Illinois has become the 16th US state to abolish the death penalty, after the governor signed a bill making permanent a 10-year-old moratorium on executions," the BBC story published earlier today under the heading, "Illinois abolishes the death penalty," begins.
"Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill after spending two months consulting with victims' families, prosecutors, religious leaders and others," the story continues.
"Former Governor George Ryan ordered a moratorium in 2000 amid concerns innocent people could be executed.
Thirty-four states still have the death penalty.
'Right thing'
In the state capital Springfield, Mr Quinn, a Democrat, said he had followed his conscience, the Chicago Tribune reported.
"Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history," he told reporters. "I think it's the right, just thing to abolish the death penalty."
In a statement accompanying the bill signing, he wrote the Illinois death penalty system was flawed and could lead to wrongful convictions.
Mr Quinn also commuted to life in prison the sentences of 15 death row inmates.
Mr Ryan's move in 2000 came after more than a dozen condemned inmates were freed from Illinois death row, some when journalists showed they had been wrongly convicted.
His successors, former Governor Rod Blagojevich and Mr Quinn, kept the moratorium in place.
The Illinois legislature approved the ban two months ago, and it takes effect on 1 July.
The number of annual executions in the US has declined dramatically since the peak of 98 in 1999, to 46 last year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Since the US Supreme Court allowed capital punishment in 1976 after a brief national moratorium, Texas has executed the most offenders, with 466."
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The story can be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12693741
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be accessed at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=120008354894645705&postID=8369513443994476774
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
