Simon Urges Gov. Quinn to End Death Penalty

Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon on Monday implored her Democratic running mate to sign legislation ending the death penalty in Illinois.

In a letter sent to Gov. Pat Quinn, Simon pointed out that she spent four years as an assistant state's attorney in southern Illinois' Jackson County, and feels that she did a good job in that post.  But she also said that our criminal justice system, even when operating at its best, is still imperfect.

In urging Quinn to sign the death penalty ban recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly, Simon also noted that since 1977, 20 people sentenced to death in Illinois have been freed because they were later found innocent or because the cases against them collapsed.

Quinn hasn't indicated what action he'll take.  He's kept in place a current moratorium on executions, but has said he supports capital punishment "when applied carefully and fairly."

Ten days ago,two fathers who'd been falsely accused in the murders of their own children called for an end to the death penalty in Illinois

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