The Black Vault - Illinois governor unlikely to resume executions

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is likely to continue a moratorium on executions in the state imposed by his predecessor who granted a mass clemency to death row inmates before leaving office in January, according to an interview published Thursday.

Blagojevich expressed doubt that efforts to reform the state's capital punishment law under way in the Illinois Legislature could ever assure that no innocent person would be executed, the Chicago Tribune said.

It was that same doubt that caused former Illinois Gov. George Ryan to impose a moratorium three years ago and then empty death row. His moves sparked a new national debate over capital punishment and focused international criticism on the United States, which is alone among western democracies in still carrying out the punishment.

"The decision for me on an issue like lifting the moratorium won't be driven by what happens in the state Senate or the House," Blagojevich told the Tribune's editorial board.

"It will be driven by whether or not the system in Illinois has been reformed in such a way where we can have no doubt that we're [not] going to make any mistakes. And it begs the question of whether we can ever get to a point in Illinois that we can feel comfortable with that," he said.

In the meantime, Blagojevich said he had no plans to lift the moratorium "any time soon" and perhaps not during his term, which runs for four years. He said, however, that he still supported capital punishment in principle.

At the time Ryan granted the mass clemency to more than 150 inmates, Blagojevich expressed doubts, saying a blanket action of any kind was usually suspect.

At least one person has been sentenced to death in the state since Ryan left office and other trials are under way where prosecutors have asked for the death penalty. In addition prosecutors have challenged Ryan's action as it pertains to a group of former death row inmates who were not actively seeking clemency.

Thirty-eight U.S. states and the federal government have capital punishment laws on the books.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/04/24/illinois.execution.reut/index.html