Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared the state’s death penalty reforms complete Tuesday but said he’ll wait to see how they affect trials before he lifts a moratorium on executions.
Flanked by Senate President Emil Jones and other lawmakers who pushed the reforms, Blagojevich signed a compromise measure holding police accountable for lying on the stand. He had vetoed a previous version because he said it called for decertifying suspected officers without due process, but he supported a new version in House Bill 576 calling for a review of suspect officers by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.
Another bill previously enacted includes reforms such as requiring prosecutors to disclose promises made to witnesses in exchange for testimony, changing lineup procedures so all persons included bear some resemblance to the described suspect and providing videotaped confessions.
Blagojevich said he believes there are cases in which execution is the just response but that the moratorium will stand until he is convinced the reforms solved problems that have led to false convictions in the past.
Jones said he opposes the death penalty but decided to support the reforms because he doesn’t believe the General Assembly is prepared to abolish executions.
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Compiled from RedEye news services.
