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Death Penalty Foes Press IL Lawmakers to Act
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Death penalty opponents are promising a major push this month to officially end executions in Illinois.

The Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty says the state's system of capital punishment doesn't work and can't be fixed. The group wants lawmakers to get rid of the death penalty during their fall session.

Illinois hasn't executed anyone in more than a decade. Former Gov. George Ryan halted executions after it became clear that 13 people had wrongly been sentenced to die. Later governors continued the moratorium, even after new safeguards were put in place.

Coalition members contend there's no way to be certain an innocent person won't be executed. They say there's no reason to keep spending money on expensive death penalty cases or to drag things out for victims' families.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
11 17 10 by Newsroom
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