Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Ryan vows loyalty to penalty's reform

By Cass Cliatt
Daily Herald Staff Writer
March 11, 2002

Illinois Gov. George Ryan reminded a gathering of death-penalty foes Sunday of his pledge not to be swayed by politics when he makes a decision about the fate of capital punishment.

"Until I can be sure that no innocent person will be executed by the state, there will be no executions," Ryan told an audience of about 300 leaders from religious, political and community groups in Chicago. The governor reiterated the position he expressed last month after vetoing legislation that would have expanded the death penalty to include gang crimes and terrorist acts.

Speaking on the eve of the final meetings of a commission charged with reviewing the death penalty, Ryan assured members of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty he knows there are glaring flaws in the state's criminal justice system.
Ryan pledged reform during the interfaith service at a Chicago church, where he was invited to accept an award for his decision to place a moratorium on state executions two years ago.

The service was the final event in a two-day conference titled "Death Sentence 2002," organized to rally people in favor of abolishing the death penalty. Ryan used it as an opportunity to defend his legislative decisions on capital punishment and to emphasize the care he'll take in reforms - all in advance of the work he'll do after his commission on the death penalty releases its findings "any day now."

He said the commission would likely hold its final meeting today before releasing reform recommendations.

"I set the bar for them pretty high, but it has to be high," Ryan said "Ninety-nine percent accuracy isn't good enough here."

He cited a 1999 report that showed almost 50 percent of capital cases in Illinois were rescheduled because of trial errors and that the majority of minorities on death row didn't have a jury of their peers. Also, 13 of 25 people on death row in 2000 were exonerated of their crimes. The governor said his resolve to make changes is strong, despite a political climate that makes reform difficult.

"In this political climate, it has become more important to have more wins in the courtroom than it is to ensure the right person is behind bars," Ryan said.

Lawmakers have been hearing from constituents who insist on harsh punishments for criminals since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the governor said. Also, crime and punishment go hand and hand with politics in an election year. "But I can't imagine what it must be like to eat your last meal before you're executed for a crime you know you didn't commit," Ryan said.