* No surprise…
Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign historic legislation abolishing the death penalty in Illinois on Wednesday, according to the House sponsor and sources familiar with the governor’s plans.
The Democratic governor on Tuesday quietly invited death penalty opponents to a private bill-signing ceremony scheduled for late Wednesday morning in his Springfield office. Quinn’s office confirmed that the governor has an event at the Capitol on Wednesday to announce his decision on the death penalty measure.
“They point-blank told me they were signing the bill (Wednesday),” sponsoring Rep. Karen Yarbrough told the Tribune.
Quinn has until March 18 to sign or veto the legislation or it automatically becomes law. He was poised to deal with it late last week but decided to continue listening to both sides of the issue. On Monday, Quinn told reporters he planned to act this week.
* As of last night, the governor’s office wasn’t confirming anything…
Quinn’s office would not divulge the governor’s intentions nor did it release his Wednesday schedule, saying an itinerary for the day’s events likely would be forthcoming early in the day.
“Unfortunately, I can’t confirm anything for tomorrow,” said Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson late Tuesday.
* But shortly after 7 o’clock this morning, they sent out this press release…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
CONTACT: Grant Klinzman (o. 312-814-3158; c. 217-299-2448)
Annie Thompson (o. 217-782-7355; c. 217-720-1853)
GOVERNOR’S PUBLIC SCHEDULE **Wednesday, March 9, 2011**
SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn will hold a press availability.
WHO: Governor Quinn
WHEN: 12 p.m.
WHERE: Governor’s Office
207 Statehouse
2nd and Monroe
Springfield, 62706
ADDITIONAL: The availability will be streamed live on www.Illinois.gov.
Due to space constraints, press credentials will be required.
They usually don’t stream press avails live on the Interwebtubies, so that’s a pretty darned good indication that this one is important. Watch it here.
* Back to the coverage…
Not clear are Quinn’s intentions for those now on death row, a group of 15 men that includes serial killer Brian Dugan, who was convicted in the 1983 murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico.
The repeal measure Yarbrough and state Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) got through the Legislature in January is silent about the fate of those sentenced to death since former Gov. George Ryan’s set aside the death sentences of the 167 inmates on death row in 2003.
“I don’t know if there will be action on the 15,” Raoul said.
Yarbrough also was unclear on that question and said the Quinn aide with whom she spoke Tuesday did not address it.
* More…
Among those the governor consulted with were prosecutors, murder victims’ families, death penalty opponents and religious leaders. Quinn even heard from retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and met with Sister Helen Prejean, the inspiration for the movie “Dead Man Walking.”
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan appealed directly to Quinn to veto the bill, as did several county prosecutors and victims’ families. They said safeguards, including videotaped interrogations and easier access to DNA evidence, were in place to prevent innocent people from being wrongly executed.
But death penalty opponents argued that there was still no guarantee that an innocent person couldn’t be put to death. Even Quinn’s own lieutenant governor, Sheila Simon, a former southern Illinois prosecutor, asked him to abolish capital punishment.
Illinois’ last execution was in 1999, a year before then-Gov. George Ryan imposed a moratorium on capital punishment after the death sentences of 13 men were overturned. Ryan cleared death row before leaving office in 2003 by commuting the death sentences of 167 inmates to life in prison.
* But expect lots of outrage from the families of victims…
Cindy McNamara whose daughter Shannon was murdered in 2001, says she wants Quinn to keep her killer on death row.
“The most lethal should be put to death. They don’t have any role or place in our society today,” she said.
- MrJM - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 8:42 am:
And for that reason, we put them in prisons.
– MrJM
- Conservative Republican - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 8:55 am:
The drumbeat against the death penalty has been sounded by the liberal intelligentsia of this state (and elsewhere) for decades now. They finally acheived their goal after eleven years of a constitutionally-questionable moratorium imposed by a spineless governor who himself had to be worried about criminal penalties (he now resides in a federal penitentiary) and after a lame-duck Democratic super-majority legislature passed the knowing that many of its retiring members would not have to take the heat for the vote.
There will be second thoughts about all this on the occasion of the state’s next William Heirens, Richard Speck, or John Wayne Gacy (all mass or serial murderers) strikes. We will be wondering about the concept of “justice” then.
- Fed up - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 8:56 am:
No matter how this is spun it is just another Pat Quinn lie in a long list of lies in a short time as Gov. Quinn far to often makes statements one day only to do the opposite soon after. The man is completely untrustworty.
- Conservative Republican - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 8:56 am:
Meant “striking”, sorry
- x ace - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 8:58 am:
Believe in Death Penalty , But Legislature decided against it , so Governor should sign it.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:01 am:
Way to keep the broken record spinning, Fed Up. Sometimes leaders have to change their minds.
- TruthToPower - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:01 am:
Governor Bait n’ Switch strikes again!
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:07 am:
- William Heirens, Richard Speck, or John Wayne Gacy (all mass or serial murderers) -
Who all committed their crimes while the death penalty was in place.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:16 am:
I completely understand and share the passion in wanting to keep the death penalty in Illinois, but reason does not support it. The goal of civilized society is to be governed by reason, not passion.
You can shout “Gacy” and “Speck” all you want. The facts are twenty innocent men, that we know of, went through the Illinois justice system, with all its formidable built-in safeguards and appeals, and came out the other side with a lawful date with a lethal injection.
It took a bunch of college kids to pick up the cause of true justice to keep the state from committing murder in all of our names. We owe them an immense debt of gratitude.
- John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:21 am:
Yup, take away the great deterrent against violent crime, and vow to veto a citizen’s armed defense.
Way To Go Quinn!
- Ray del Camino - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:25 am:
The death penalty is one of the most-studied things in the social sciences. There is no evidence that it is a deterrent.
It “makes sense” to rational people, but there is *no evidence* that it should work. Maybe it doesn’t because violent criminals are not rational people.
Did I mention there is NO EVIDENCE that it is any more of a deterrent than life in prison?
- amalia - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:38 am:
Cindy McNamara, so sorry for your loss and the deep pain that the continued life of the killer brings you.
- dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:55 am:
Mr Conservative Republican,
Your mention of the 3 convicted murders is curious, to say the least. Heirens was convicted (as STL indicates) at a time when the death penalty was in place, yet he was not sentenced to death but with 3 consecutive life sentences. Despite that apparent lapse, he remains in prison to this day, perhaps the longest prison term in the world.
Speck, on the other hand, WAS sentenced to death initially, sentence overturned but the death penalty was declared unconstitutional by the SCOTUS before sentence was redone. As we all know, Speck died in prison while serving a life term.
Gacy is the only one of the 3 you mention to be executed. If he hadn’t, he would have certainly spent the rest of his life in prison, due to the notoriety of his case.
Not very good examples, don’t you think?
Horrific crimes deserve strong punishment. I don’t think I could stand up under the withering arguements of victims’ families of the heinous crimes we learn about. Nonetheless, we must also account for those victims of flawed prosecutions, or worse yet, deliberate persecutions at the hands of overzealous or corrupt prosecutors.
In addition, the cost of insuring that any particular murder conviction resulting in the death penalty is, in fact, valid and proper is actually much higher than housing the typical convict in prison for the balance of his natural life. The interminable appeals process may be seen as unnecessary but is, in fact, what most reasonable people demand in order to insure that the right person is being executed. And, as past events have shown, that isn’t even sufficient to prevent innocent people from drawing near to their death at the hands of the state. The reasonable solution to this is the provision for “true” life without parole. Provided we can be re-assured that a person with that sentence would not be released - that would be a way to provide the victims’ family of final disposition.
Sir, I am not a member of the liberal intelligentsia by any stretch of the imagination. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that the family of a murder victim feels during the aftermath of such a crime. I can NOT, however, be a party to the execution of an innocent person for a crime he is not responsible for. That would be blood on my hands and I will not support that.
With all those mixed feelings, I support Gov Quinn. Sign the bill.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 9:56 am:
For those who continually defend Illinois’ death penalty in the abstract, how do you address the state’s real-life experience?
Twenty innocent men were set to be executed on convictions based on police and prosecutorial misconduct, perjured testimony and coerced confessions.
If any of them had been executed, should those responsible for the wrongful convictions been charged with murder — and faced the death penalty? Or do they just get a mulligan?
- Margo Schulter - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:00 am:
Congratulations to Governor Quinn! Life without parole will be a swift, certain, and more consistent way of doing justice for society and especially the families of murder victims, freeing public funds for other effective anti-crime measures. This is a day to celebrate for Illinois and the whole world.
- fed up - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:04 am:
Ray del Camino
Did I mention there is NO EVIDENCE that it is any more of a deterrent than life in prison?
Ray can you name one offender who has been put to death that has committed another violent crime?
Guess what their are hundreds if not thousands of offenders with life sentences who have committed other violent crimes including murder.
The death penalty does deter crime
- Captain Angrypants - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:09 am:
After reading this, I basically just want to give Pat Quinn a big ol’ hug this morning. It’s nice to see the liberals getting their way once in a while. This must be what it feels like to be a conservative.
- Wow - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:09 am:
Congratulation to Senator Kwame Raoul!!
He worked very hard to get this bill passed!!
- amalia - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:26 am:
Wordslinger, who is on your list of 20? Northwestern Center on Wrongful Convictions has 18 so looking for source of complete list. that NW list has cases resolving in 1971, 1987, some in the mid ’90s and the recent 1999, and 2002-4 list that got major attention.
- fed up - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:32 am:
STL,
I’m not spinning a broken record I’m pointing out Quinn keeps breaking his word. Liberals love to go after Bush or other Conservative pols on lies as well they should but get upset when Quinn’s multitude of lies is brought up.
- fed up - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:34 am:
STL,
I notice you don’t disagree that Quinn is a liar you just don’t like it to be mentioned.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 10:34 am:
Amalia, I was referring to the NW list from memory. If it says 18, then that’s correct.
- amalia - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:01 am:
Thanks Wordslinger.
- amalia - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:05 am:
actually, it’s 19 on the list. confusing, they state 18 in the list of the exonerated but I went back to count. perhaps because there is one who is still in prison for several more years for an armed robbery charge. and then there is the wasted life of Aaron Patterson, now in the Federal Pen. for drug and gun charges.
- formerpolitico - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:08 am:
Another Quinn campaign promise violated! I’ve known every Illinois Governor since Bill Stratton, and this guy Quinn is absolutely the worst one ever! Now it will be open season on prison guards and crime witnesses.
- Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:12 am:
- this guy Quinn is absolutely the worst one ever! -
Way to make yourself look ridiculous. Were you buddies with Rod or something?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:20 am:
===I’ve known every Illinois Governor since Bill Stratton, and this guy Quinn is absolutely the worst one ever!===
So, lying Dan Walker and criminal Rod Blagojevich were better? Seriously? Are you daft?
- Statewide - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 11:46 am:
Long story short: The death penalty is not prevention, it is vengeance, a right people do not have. It might feel like justice, but it is morally wrong. Compliments to Gov. Quinn and the legislators for doing the right thing.
- Fed up - Wednesday, Mar 9, 11 @ 12:17 pm:
The death penalty is prevention it prevents those sentenced to death from committing another crime. Tell the next jail guard or prisoner that is assaulted by an inmate that should of been executed that his injuries went preventable.