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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Gov. Ryan's Panel: Death Penalty Fundamentally Flawed |
Current rating: 0 |
by Joe Futrelle
Email: futrelle (nospam) shout.net (unverified!) |
14 Apr 2002
Modified: 15 Apr 2002 |
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A panel assembled by IL Governor George Ryan to review the application of the death penalty in Illinois has concluded that extensive and far-reaching change is required to prevent innocent people from being executed. |
The New York Times is reporting that a commission assembled by IL Governor George Ryan to review the application of the death penalty in Illinois has concluded that extensive and far-reaching change is required to prevent innocent people from being executed.
The recommended changes reach to virtually every aspect of the criminal justice system and are meant to address concerns raised by studies which point to racist application of the penalty, inadequate performance of state-appointed defense lawyers, and the admission of forced confessions as evidence in capital cases, among other things.
A narrow majority of the bipartisan commission recommended abolishing capital punishment altogether. The commission will present its recommendations in a news conference Monday.
Ryan, a proponent of the death penalty, has placed a moratorium on its application in Illinois and has recently said that he is considering commuting all pending death row cases in Illinois before the end of his term. |
See also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/15/national/15DEAT.html
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spin sets in |
by Joe Futrelle
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
15 Apr 2002
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CNN's headline for this same story is "Illinois panel: death penalty ban not the answer", even though it reports the fact that a majority of the panel recommended abolishing the penalty.
It also doesn't note that one of the ground rules for the panel was that it recommend changes to the penalty, rather than consider the issue of whether or not the penalty should be abolished.
This is spin of the worst kind. |
