IL SR0260

Former Illinois Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in January 2000, after which 13 death row inmates were exonerated; since 2000, 6 additional inmates have been exonerated for a total of 19 exonerations, making Illinois second only to Florida in death row exonerations.

The Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment concluded that no system can guarantee innocent persons will never be sentenced to death, and despite reforms, insufficient safeguards remain to prevent wrongful convictions.

The death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to murder; states with capital punishment have higher murder rates than those without, and Illinois's murder rate has declined since the execution moratorium began.

Death penalty cases cost significantly more than non-death cases at every stage of the judicial process; over the past 6 fiscal years, Illinois allocated just under $89 million to the Capital Litigation Trust Fund, with studies from other states showing millions in additional costs.

The Senate supports the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois, noting that 137 of 194 countries worldwide have abolished capital punishment and that the United States ranks fourth globally in execution rates behind only China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.