are not put to death (Death Penalty No Deterrent). Due to rising crime rates, repeat offenders released on parole, and the rumors and releases of innocent people exonerated from death row, the American public has no faith in its judicial system. The fact that the system sometimes works for those who are lucky enough to somehow obtain the legal and investigative resources or media attention necessary to vindicate their claims of innocence does not mean that most innocent people on death row are equally fortunate. Moreover, many death row inmates who have been exonerated would have been executed if the legal system had moved more quickly, as would occur if, as those now in power in Congress have proposed, Federal habeas corpus were eviscerated (Freeman). Earlier this year, Illinois governor George Ryan, a death penalty supporter, ordered a moratorium on the death penalty. A moratorium is a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt. In other words, Governor Ryan put a stop to the death penalty in his state until further investigation could be done. This investigation was into the claims of innocent people who were either on Illinois Death Row or had been released from it. Since 1977, Illinois has executed twelve men and freed or reduced the sentence of another thirteen who were being held. Included among these is Anthony Porter, who spent sixteen years on death row before being released because another man confessed to the crime Porter allegedly committed. Students at Northwestern University have helped in freeing several of the inmates from Illinois, including Porter. (Case Against Death Penalty). In Illinois, for every execution, one death row inmate had his or her sentence reduced or overturned. These changes to sentences were because the state had relied on insufficient evidence or had received new evidence or confessions by the truly guilty (Case Against D...
