George Ryan put a moratorium on the death penalty. Now the State of Illinois is looking at banning it outright. A bill to abolish the death penalty passed the Illinois House and moves on to the Senate.
Lawmakers approved Senate Bill 3539 with the required 60 votes after waging an earlier emotional, hour-long debate. But it was the $20 million annual cost of death penalty cases that convinced state Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, to change his previous “no” vote to “yes.”
“I was on both sides of this issue. But then you think of the potential cost savings of this bill, and the state needs all of the savings we can get,” Verschoore said. “Besides, my wife was on me to vote for it.”
Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stewart Umholtz doesn’t buy it. The bill failed the first time it was brought forward; normally that would be the end of the matter. But then Verschoore changed his mind and House leaders allowed a new vote to be taken. Umholtz tells the Journal Star, “Anyone that’s watched the Legislature today should be sickened…. I’m sure deals were made in order to flip those votes.”
In reality, this ban is going to make absolutely no difference. Only 12 people have been executed in Illinois in the last 50 years anyway. And it does nothing to make the justice system fairer or guard against wrongful convictions. But it’s a good diversion from the issue lawmakers really should be facing: Illinois’ fiscal crisis.
Hat tip to Peoria Pundit for the Illinois Statehouse News link.
Elaine’s letter to the Editor in the PJStar today was right on. If one person is wrongfully convicted and executed that is one too many. Who cares what Umholtz and Lyons think, anyway? How is that news? They’re not God.
Off Subject
In the Journal Star today,the question was asked “what’s ultimately most important – compassion or justice.” We can have both. Gov. Ryan will return to prison after seeing his wife if he is allowed to do so. I think the warden and the people of Illinois will feel better if Gov. Ryan is allowed compassionate temporary leave. He is after all, not a mass murderer, Stalin, Hitler or Tim McVey. Nor is he a risk to the community. We can have “heart” and justice. Think about it.
“it does nothing to make the justice system fairer or guard against wrongful convictions.”
No it won’t make the system fairer, but you can’t undo an execution, even if they are infrequent.
Responding to Boblee- whatever consideration the average joe would get in the justice system, they should do the same for Ryan. No more, no less.
If we aren’t going to execute those so richly deserving of execution-and we aren’t-why can’t we at least take away their citizenship and let third world countries bid to incarcerate them? Low bid wins. Or is it just our jobs we want to export to the rest of the world?
The news says it isn’t unusual to give prisoners compassionate leave for such things.
As much as I think Ryan should be treated like all the rest of the prisoners, I can see the need at this time for compasionate leave. More for his wife than for him. It isn’t really going to cost us that much for him to get a chance to say goodbye to her one last time. Just because he was an a _ _ doesn’t mean we should be the same.
Abolish the death penalty and the cottage industry built around it. I have seen executions. I have seen murder victims. I do not consider myself a liberal. Killing is ugly no matter how it is wrapped. Executions have negligble deterrence value and serve only for retribution. I used to think otherwise. It is not something I can convince anyone of with words.
The death penalty service no purpose. It does not deter criminals at all. It is a exercise that you can not afford to make any mistakes in, but we know several have been made.
I am in favor of abolishing the death penalty.