ILLINOIS Coalition to Abolish THE DEATH PENALTY

180 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 2300 Phone (312) 849-2279
Chicago, IL 60601 Fax (312) 201-9760
www.icadp.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Marilyn Katz
(312) 822-0505
Jane Bohman
(312) 849-2279

Statement of the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty regarding the
Report of Governor’s Commission on Capital Punishment

CHICAGO, IL (April 15, 2002)—The Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty lauds the Governor’s Commission on Capital Punishment for their careful review of the Illinois death penalty system. The Commission’s recognition that no system can be devised to ensure that an innocent person would not be executed is strong support for replacement of the death penalty with the existing sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Coalition is heartened by the fact that a majority of the members of the Commission would support ending the use of the death penalty in Illinois. We have long believed that the facts dictate that anyone who examines the system will find it "too flawed to fix."

As for the various recommendations forwarded to the Governor by the Commission, from past experience and study we know that no reform or package of reforms will ensure a capital punishment system that is both accurate and fair. As much as one might wish otherwise, human error and society’s prejudices will always play a role in the criminal justice system, including the death penalty process. The release of the 100th innocent person from Death Row last week in Arizona highlights the need for Illinois to find alternatives to the death penalty.

Thus, while we support reforms that would make the criminal justice system as a whole more reliable and fair, given the fact that no human process is infallible, we believe that the responsible course for the state legislature is to use the Governor’s Commission report to reform the criminal justice system and repeal the death penalty. Thus we will work to see that the legislature not only takes up the Commission report, but also HB576 that replaces the fundamentally flawed death penalty with a provision for life imprisonment without parole.

The Commission also rightly urged that consideration be given to the fact that none of those currently under death sentences in Illinois have had the benefit of changes required to make the system more fair and accurate. The prudent approach to these cases is for Governor Ryan, who has demonstrated leadership on the death penalty crisis and on other human rights issues, to commute the sentence of each of the 160 men and women on death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Commutation of all is necessary given that each of these men and women were sentenced under a system that is so riddled with problems and human errors that one cannot even be sure the right person has been convicted. This would enable the "slate to be wiped clean" and the recommendation of the Commission be utilized as the framework for the debate regarding the future of the death penalty in Illinois.

For further information, contact:
Jane Bohman, Executive Director, ICADP
312-849-2279
312-213-4250

George Brooks, President, ICADP
773-247-0070
708-799-3737

Charles Hoffman, Death Penalty defense attorney
312-814-5100

Aviva Futorian, Attorney for defendants in capital post-conviction review matters.
773-348-3899

Note: The commission report is available online at www.idoc.state.il.us/ccp

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