​​​​Matthew Dietrich​

Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2010, but there had not been an execution in the state since 1999, when Gov. George Ryan enacted a moratorium. Ryan's action followed numerous exonerations of Illinois Death Row inmates who had been wrongly convicted. Even though by the mid-2000s it had become obvious that resumption of executions was all but sure to never happen, it still took a lot of persuasion for lawmakers to formally end capital punishment in Illinois. These editorials trace that story. There are more that I'll add later.