History of ICADP

The Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty was founded in 1976 by Mary Alice Rankin following the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state of Illinois. The death penalty was previously invalidated in the US in 1972 by the Supreme Court in the case Furman v Georgia as the use of the death penalty was deemed too arbitrary, which made it a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Since its inception, ICADP has worked to educate people about the problems with the death penalty, such as the fact that innocent people have been sentenced to death row and the high costs associated with the death penalty, and worked towards the abolition of the death penalty.

Some of the major advancements toward abolition that ICADP helped move forward are the moratorium issued by former Illinois state governor, George Ryan, on the death penalty that is still in place as well as the creation of the Capital Reform Study Committee.

The state of Illinois is closer to abolition then ever before and with your help, ICADP can make sure the death penalty is abolished in Illinois.