Gov. Ryan’s stand should be applauded

Illinois Governor George Ryan offers some hope in an age when
politicians are too eager to please and too afraid to take an
unpopular stand against the status quo. On Saturday, Ryan commuted
the sentences for all 167 of the state’s Death Row inmates,
drawing widespread criticism from other politicians and the
public.

A conservative Republican and former death penalty supporter,
Ryan felt compelled to grant the blanket commutation after
concluding “our capital punishment system is haunted by the
demon of error ““ error in determining guilt, error in
determining who among the guilty deserves to die.”

There is ample evidence to support Ryan’s claim, beginning
with the prevalence of wrongful convictions. Since 1972, over 100
death row inmates have been released after being wrongfully
convicted. A 1999 investigation showed that nearly half of 300
capital cases had been reversed for a new trial or new sentencing.
And though the Supreme Court recently acknowledged “mental
retardation is a factor that may well lessen a defendant’s
culpability for a capital offense,” 44 mentally disabled
inmates were executed since 1976 before the country reached this
enlightenment.

The death penalty is not a proven, fairly applied crime
deterrent either. Governments with the death penalty have higher
civilian murder rates than those that do not. The five countries
with the highest homicide rates that do not impose the death
penalty average 21.6 murders per every 100,000 people, whereas the
five countries with the highest homicide rate that do impose the
death penalty average 41.6 murders per every 100,000 people. Eighty
percent of death row inmates were convicted of killing whites even
though people of color make up over half of all homicide
victims.

Ryan’s choice to change his political ideology in the face
of these facts deserves commendation. Before he made the decision,
the governor knew it would be unpopular not only with his party,
but with the public ““ his decision took courage.

It’s clear Ryan’s decision is not a rash one;
he’s been advocating against the death penalty for years.
Though tackling the death penalty was not among Ryan’s
priorities when he took office, he asked a panel to investigate the
system after a series of exonerations. When the panel recommended
Ryan either “repair or repeal [it],” he did not cave to
political pressure or the likely uproar from constituents; he
worked hard to create reform. He called for a moratorium on
executions in January of 2000 and led a 3-year fight to change the
system.

But when Ryan concluded “the legislature couldn’t
reform it” and “lawmakers won’t repeal it,”
he used his powers of clemency to effectively change the law before
leaving office. Critics of Ryan’s decision believe Ryan went
against the spirit of clemency by commuting every sentence instead
of evaluating them on a case by case basis. But Ryan was opposed to
the application of the death penalty itself, not exclusive
incidences of wrongful conviction; and Ryan did not ignore the
victims’ families’ perspective when he pleaded with
convicts and relatives to remember those who were lost.

Governor Ryan’s actions are a powerful statement to
politicians everywhere. Death penalty supporters and opponents must
agree it’s encouraging to see a politician who follows his
heart instead of his wallet.