2000: the state of Illinois stops
executions temporarily
Illinois
Moratorium A brief article on the decision to stop executions
Executive
Order The text of Ryan's order stopping executions
Illinois
Death Penalty Moratorium A PBS (public television) news story
on Governor George Ryan's decision in 2000 to declare a moratorium on
the death penalty; this site includes a transcript of the program, but
the audio link to it no longer works.
Cato
Institute - Should the death penalty be abolished? A video
broadcast of a discussion of the death penalty which followed the
moratorium
2002: A commission appointed by
Governor Ryan studies the use of the death penalty in Illinois
The
commission's official page with information on members and
findings
Illinois
Commission on Capital Punishment report summary A summary of
the report of the commission; the full report is available from
the state of Illinois in PDF format
Reactions
in other states A June 2002 report
To
Kill or Not To Kill An mp3 recording of an essay by Scott
Turow, a member of the commission
2003: Governor Ryan commutes
(reverses) convictions of 167 Illinois prisoners on death row
Illinois
governor reprieves all 167 on death row International Herald
Tribune news article
Justice
Reconsidered A detailed news report (in text, audio, and
video) on the story; also -- CNN
(US); Sidney
(AU) Morning Herald; BBC
(UK
Editorial reaction: The
Nation: 'Ryan's Courage'; Pacific
News Service: 100 Years Apart, Two Governors Dared to Attack Death
Penalty; WorldNetDaily:
A staggering abuse of power;
Governor
Ryan's speech Text of the speech at DePaul University
Text
of Illinois Gov. Ryan's letter to victims' families Ryan's
explanation of his actions
Background: Controversial Illinois
Governor George Ryan
Governor
George Ryan: An Address on the Death Penalty at University of
Chicago Divinity School
Illinois
governor leaves a legacy CNN News analysis
Governor
Ryan's Departure A brief article on Ryan's accomplishments
and problems
Ryan's
Paradox An overview of Ryan's career together with several
editorials
Further study
- Lexis
Search On campus only...This source will
find you LOTS of articles on the topic. Click on the "guided search"
link. Select "General News" or "US News" under News Category and select
a news source such as "Major Papers" from item selection. Type keywords
such as 'Ryan,' 'moratorium,' 'death penalty,' and/or 'executions.'
Limit your search to the time period you'd like to find out about.
