Illinois became the 16th US state to abolish the death penalty Wednesday, capping a decade of debate over the fairness of capital punishment in a justice system rife with wrongful convictions.
"For me, this was a difficult decision, quite literally the choice between life and death," Governor Pat Quinn said after signing the bill into law.
Quinn, who had long been a supporter of the death penalty, said he has determined that "our system of imposing the death penalty is inherently flawed" and that there is "no credible evidence" that capital punishment deters crime.
"Since our experience has shown that there is no way to design a perfect death penalty system, free from the numerous flaws that can lead to wrongful convictions or discriminatory treatment, I have concluded that the proper course of action is to abolish it," Quinn said in a statement.
Full AFP report here
Well done Illinois. Where you go, we pray other states will follow.
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