Mitchell and Brady call for lifting of death
penalty moratorium
Send a link to a friend
[DEC.
13, 2003]
SPRINGFIELD
-- Following the recent enactment of a comprehensive new law
reforming Illinois' criminal justice system, state
Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, and state
Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, are calling on the governor to
lift the state's moratorium on the death penalty. |
"I represent the people of Clinton, who are
mourning the tragic murder of three young children. At the present time,
if those accused of this monstrous crime are found to be guilty, the
most severe punishment they could receive is life in prison. Many will
agree that punishment does not fit the crime," said Mitchell.
![](../images/ads/Library/LPL_small%201.gif)
"The moratorium has been in place here in
Illinois for nearly four years. During that time, there has been a
tremendous amount of study done on the issue, and countless hours of
hard work and debate have gone into developing policies to correct a
flawed system," he said. "The reforms enacted will ensure that no
innocent person is put to death. Now is time for us to look ahead and
lift the death penalty moratorium in Illinois so that perpetrators of
heinous murder crimes will pay for the pain they have caused."
Former Gov. George Ryan imposed the
moratorium after a number of individuals on death row were found to be
innocent of the crimes for which they had been convicted. He established
a commission to study the issue and to make recommendations to the
Illinois General Assembly.
[to top of second column in
this article]
![](../images/ads/current/mapleclubxmas.gif) |
![](../images/ads/current/mapleridge.jpg)
The bill enacted into law includes many of
their recommendations, such as:
--Greatly reducing the number of
eligibility factors for the death penalty.
--Mandatory videotaping of the police
interrogation process for murder suspects.
--Establishing new procedures for state's
attorneys in death penalty cases and mandatory training for judges.
--Ensuring a jury or court will take a
defendant's reduced mental capacity or history of mental or physical
abuse into consideration in the sentencing deliberations.
--Allowing post-conviction appeals at any
time if new evidence proving innocence comes to light.
--Increasing funding for expanded DNA
technology.
"We have taken
the time to put the interest of the accused at the forefront of
discussion and have made significant improvements to our criminal
justice system. Today, we are asking that we now turn our attention to
the interest of the victims of violent crime to ensure that justice
prevails," Brady concluded.
[News release] |