Gov. George Ryan deserves much praise for having the courage to declare a moratorium on the death penalty. Over the past 13 years, innocent defendants, their families and even the families of the murder victims–cheated of justice by hasty, wrongful prosecutions–have suffered unimaginable anguish. As we have learned of the 13 reversals of death sentences during that time, some of us have wondered whether the entire criminal justice system has run off the rails.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers first called for a moratorium on executions in 1997. Legislation drafted by our organization to this end previously died in the General Assembly.
That the governor took personal leadership of this issue was both essential to real reform and a promising harbinger of change.
