Chicago
The state of Illinois this week launched clemency hearings for nearly all of its 158 death-row inmates. Gov. George Ryan halted executions in Illinois three years ago after DNA evidence showed that several convicted murderers were innocent. As part of a wholesale review of the state’s capital-punishment system, Ryan is considering commuting all death sentences to life in prison. “This is remarkably historic,” said David Elliot of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. “All eyes in the death-penalty movement are on Illinois.” Relatives of murder victims expressed outrage. So did prosecutors, who said many of those now eligible for life sentences had committed murders of horrific brutality. One death-row inmate, for example, starved his 16-month-old daughter to death. “They shouldn’t kill this guy,” said John Gorman, a spokesman for the Cooks County state attorney. “They should tear his fingernails off one at a time.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
