Illinois Governor George Ryan has begun the process of reviewing every death penalty case in the state.
In all, more than 140 petitions for clemency will be heard by the end of the month. The hearings for all but a few of the state's 160 condemned inmates come after Gov. George Ryan said earlier this year that he intended to review every death penalty case before he leaves office in January.
"This is unprecedented," said Robert Dunne, a member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. "Normally we only hear petitions for clemency from death row inmates when their executions are imminent."
Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in 2000, calling the state's death penalty system "fraught with error" after 13 inmates were found to have been wrongfully convicted.
The board will make confidential recommendations to the governor. But Ryan has suggested that he may grant a blanket clemency to all.
Gov. Ryan's fulfillment of his promise is already stirring up some strong emotions on both sides of the death penalty argument. Speaking for myself, I applaud the Governor for having the courage to admit that the system is flawed and attempting to mitigate some of the damage. Of course, victim's rights groups are not happy, but I wouldn't expect them to be. They have a legitimate ax to grind. Even so, I would ask them what is wrong about taking the time to review the process to make absolutely certain that it is the guilty that are being executed? If the life of one person is saved by Gov. Ryan's process, that makes this review process well worth the time, money, and delays that it costs.
I'm not going to argue the moral correctness or incorrectness of the death penalty here. What I do think is that the system as it currently exists is highly flawed, and as such it is far too easy for the wrongly convicted to be executed. Once an execution is carried out, it cannot be undone. What, then, is so wrong with making sure that the state did everything within it's power to be absolutely certain they have the right person?
With all of the racial, social, and economic disparities that are currently inherent in the death penalty process, a cold, hard look would certainly seem in order. Gov. Ryan ought to be commended for having the courage to recognize a flawed system, promising to review it, and then following through on it. Why NOT make sure we get it right?
