Gov. George Ryan has commuted the death sentences of all inmates in Illinois, citing the fundamental unfairness of the system as practiced in his state. His speech was an impassioned indictment of a very flawed system, one “haunted by the demon of error.”
This act may signal the beginning of the end of capital punishment in the U.S.
I wouldn’t say it was courageous at all; he has nothing to lose. He didn’t even run for re-election this past term due to the corruption and other problems in his administration. He commuted the sentences on his last day in office. I doubt he’ll be elected to an office again (though this is Illinois, so I wouldn’t be too surprised). Various high-level people from his administration are being indicted for crimes like a truckers licenses-for-bribes scandal (in which one of the illegally licensed truckers killed a few children in an accident) and misusing state workers/facilities for Ryan’s re-election campaign. There are indications that he knew about the latter and perhaps the former.
I oppose the death penalty, so I applaud his doing it, but I think there’s virtually zero chance of this starting a trend among all, or even most, of the other states. America is hooked on revenge and violence.
I’d call it “Ryan: Taking advantage of good timing in order to try to avoid being remembered for scandal.” The timing was just perfect; he makes himself look good just as a candidate from the opposite party is going into office. If he had done this at any other time, it might well be perceived as an act committed to remedy injustice, but instead it looks like political opportunism.
Personally, I perceive that as a shame: it could well be a step towards ending capital punishment in the United States, which I see as a positive thing. However, as done it just looks like the action of a political opportunist: scandal-ridden governor commutes sentences of prisoners on death row the weekend he leaves office.
I am sure there is some truth to this. However, his actions over several years have consistently led in this direction.
Since this is MPSIMS, I will simply state that George Ryan is one of the slimiest, disgusting, corrupt, cowardly, disreputable, tyrants I’ve ever had the sincere displeasure of working under. Just thinking of him turns my stomach.
If you are against the death penalty, the result may be fine for you, but recognize that, like Clinton’s last minute political pardons, this is a astronomical abuse of power, and was done to clean the public image of a dirty politico.