Illinois Lawmakers revamp death penalty | Chicago Tribune

[Ediacara]

Ill. Lawmakers revamp death penalty

By John O'Connor
Associated Press Writer
Published November 19, 2003, 3:20 PM CST

SPRINGFIELD -- After four years of tumult that fed a national debate on the death penalty, lawmakers Wednesday changed the face of capital punishment in Illinois.

The House voted 115-0 to enact historic changes to a death penalty system that has led to the wrongful conviction of 17 men. The Senate acted earlier this month, so the changes become law immediately.

They include giving the Supreme Court greater power to toss out unjust verdicts, letting defendants have more access to evidence and barring the death penalty in cases that depend on a single witness.

The action was an override of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of the bill. He objected to a portion banishing police officers who lie in murder investigations. But further negotiations produced a compromise on that issue, and it also was approved 115-0. It now goes to Blagojevich, who has promised to sign the compromise pact.

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[Mal]

1. Any prosecution witness who lies

in a case where the Death Penalty is a likely (or actual) outcome, should be put on charges of Murder or Attempted Murder (depending upon the outcome). It's a knowing act, using the legal system as the murder weapon.

[saigon68]

2. We do not need the death Penalty in the U. S. A.

It is applied mostly to Blacks and other people of color.

It is used by insecure little men, like G.W. Bush, who apparently obtain some kind of wierd sexual arousal, from putting people to death.

All civilized nations of the world, have it only as a foot note in their history books. Only gangster, hooligan nations who are ruled by thugs and criminals still employ it.