Death Penalty Ban Worry Prosecutors

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has finally signed legislation to abolish the state’s death penalty but prosecuting attorneys are concerned that they may have lost a useful tool in court, leaving criminals with one thing less to fear.

After the general Assembly passed the bill to abolish capital punishment in Illinois, it took two months of waiting and left many cases hanging until Gov. Pat Quinn finally saw the light and signed the legislation to empty death row. After the inaction which caused critics to voice out, the local state attorneys unanimously condemned the decision. The prosecutors explained how the death penalty gave them confidence in the system although they agreed it shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip.

Attorneys noted the fact that there were convicts originally sentenced to death who were freed, proving that the Justice system works. “That’s the checks and balances working,” said Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weiss. He added that it’s the reason why cases take time. “When you have the ultimate punishment, you should have the ultimate review.”

The death penalty abolishment was set to take effect July 1, 2011, which means that trials before this time for crimes warranting the death penalty may still get perpetrators served with capital punishment. Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon took it upon himself to have a dialogue with the families of the accused in his cases where sentencing to death is a possibility. He says the families should hear it from him personally instead of the newspaper. Some attorneys opted to delay sentencing before July 1.

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