"There can be no death penalty in our state, if it kills innocent people - said Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill abolishing the Illinois supreme penalty - If your system is not one hundred percent free from błędw, we need to eliminate such a system.."
The long-awaited decision the governor has made that Illinois joined the group of 15 stanw U.S. ktre abolished at home the highest penalty in the last 30 years. At the same time Quinn has changed sentence of 15 osb currently residing in the so-judgment. death row to life imprisonment.
"I"ve come to the conclusion that when the decision to abolish the penalty was taken, it ought to cover everybody - said Governor - I am convinced that people have made horrible ktre uczynkw should be punished by heavy imprisonment without possibility of appeal ... but not death. "
Addressing the families of murdered by skazańcw osb, ktrym changed to life imprisonment penalty Pat Quinn said: "There is no SLW in English, or any other, would reduce your ktre bl. I understand that. I listened with an open heart for each of the families, as well as 13 other people live milionw Illinois. We are with you and share sadness (...) I know that there is no way to alleviate blu. However, I believe that the death penalty should be abolished in our state because of the previously committed errors, and also because there are other ways of punishment. "
While leaks about a possible decision by the governor to appear for some time - allowed us to guess that he seriously considered signing the law voted in January - so much information on the commute the death sentence to life imprisonment for 15 osb were kept in the strictest confidence .
CMJD those ktrzy benefit from the decision is, for example, a serial killer Brian Dugan, convicted in 1983 for zabjstwo 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico.
It was expected that the final decision on the 15 sentenced to death will be made no earlier than 2017 when Quinn will begin his second term or replace him in that capacity for the new governor. Presented and passed by our Legislature in January, the law did not mention anything about the future of osb, ktre were convicted after 2003, when an early governor, George Ryan, suspended executions osb 164 on death row in Illinois.
"The law is the law and it is we, the people of Illinois, say the world" - on Wednesday mwił Quinn.
In this manner whatsoever closed his inglorious chapter in our history when more than 20 osb sentenced to death were acquitted by the courts already while waiting for its execution.
Since 1977, when after a break przywrcono highest penalty in our state, were executed in 1912 osb, including the mass murderer John Wayne Gacy, ktremu attributed to dozens of victims. Last execution took place in 1999, when a lethal dose of poison was administered intravenously serial killer Andrew Kokoraleis `those.
During the election campaign last year, Quinn has repeatedly expressed support for maintaining the death penalty in our state, announcing at the same time keeping in place a moratorium on executions introduced by his poprzednikw.
As soon as the first signs appeared that the governor intends to sign the bill voted in January, supporters of the highest judicial rebuke him breaking election promises.
"Gub. Quinn always says that the will of the people should be a law.I do not think it did, if you will swj signature on the document - mwił recently a member of the Board of stateful Reprezentantw, Rep. Dennis Reboletti representing the city Elmhurst - promised one, give something else. "
The final decision Quinnowi congratulated President Barack Obama, even as DECIDED ktry senator acted to reform the system in our state.
Perhaps the most from it are satisfied, however, two people - Karen Yarbrough, Maywood Democrat from sitting in the House Reprezentantw Illinois Senator Kwame Raoul and, a Democrat from Chicago, were ktrzy głwnymi sponsors of historical law.
"The decision the governor makes Illinois was on the right side of history," said Karen Yarbrough.
Illinois has made the right decision - Amnesty International - to similar wnioskw must reach the other American states and territories, as well as many different countries.Here is the information of the organization concerning the death penalty in the world dating back two years (the number may be slightly niektre rnić from current data):
In more than half the world"s countries and the donors have already abolished the death penalty a judicial sentence and its execution.
- 89 countries and terytoriw completely abolished the death penalty, in 10 countries, there is the possibility of sentencing to death only in exceptional cases such as war crimes, 30 countries are perceived as those ktre in practice do not apply the death penalty - despite the fact that preserved it in legal terms. In total, 129 countries have abolished the death penalty in kodeksw or not to apply it in practice.
69 other krajwi regionw retain and use the death penalty, but the number of countries carrying out executions annually decreasing.
- Once abolished the death penalty is rarely restored.Since 1985, more than 50 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in advance of its abolition for ordinary crimes has been extended to all offenses. During this period, only four countries przywrciły the death penalty. Two of them lifted it again. Executions were not resumed in the other dwch.
- Scientific studies are not able to find convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments. In a study on the relationship between capital punishment and the rate zabjstw conducted for the UN in 1988 and revised in 2002, concluded that "... it would not be prudent to accept the hypothesis that capital punishment deters them from committing crimes mordercw a significantly greater extent likely than the threat of use of a lighter life imprisonment. "
The latest figures from the countries and the donors, were we happened abolished the death penalty, do not confirm the theory that its abolition has harmful effects.For example, in Canada zabjstw number per 100 thousand. people live has fallen from a peak of 3.09 in 1975 (the year before the abolition of the death penalty for murder) to 2.41 in 1980 and since then it has declined. In 2003, 27 years after the abolition of the death penalty, the number per 100 thousand zabjstw. citizens was 1.73, ktry an indicator is 44 percent lower than in 1975 and the lowest in three decades.
- The executions of innocents. How long will be pursued to the death penalty, so long will not be able to exclude the danger of executing the innocent person. In the U.S., since 1973, 123 więźniw been released from death row, after the emergence of new dowodw purging them from the crimes for which they zarzutw. Six of these cases monitor took place in 2004, two in 2005 and one in 2006. Niektrzy prisoners, after spending many years on death row at the last moment escaped the execution of the sentence.Recurring features in all cases monitor is poorly conducted police investigation or prosecution, the use of unreliable evidence świadkw, dowodw kind, or inadequate defense.
Źrdło: Amnesty International
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