A group of over 60 former state and federal prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement officials recently wrote to Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois urging him to sign the bill passed by the General Assembly to repeal the death penalty. The law would also transfer state funds used for the death penalty to a fund for murder victims’ services and law enforcement work. The group cited the death penalty’s ineffectiveness in deterring violent crime and its high cost of implementation as the primary reasons for ending the death penalty. The letter stated, ” Throughout Illinois, law enforcement officials are struggling to find needed dollars for police, forensic investigations, and aggressive prosecution of a wide range of criminal activity. The vast sums that would be spent on the death penalty in the years ahead are sorely needed for other, more effective law enforcement purposes.” The letter also cautioned against retaining the death penalty in order to obtain guilty pleas in exchange for life sentences, saying that “using the death penalty as an instrument of coercion has led to false pleas and erroneous convictions.” And merely limiting the death penalty, the group said, ” would not solve the underlying flaws that inevitably occur when the authorities are under pressure to win convictions in high-profile cases.” See below for list of signatories.
Cynthia Giacchetti
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Thomas M. Breen
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
James B. Burns
Former U.S. Attorney
Stuart Chanen
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Patrick M. Collins
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
William F. Conlon
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Vincent J. Connelly
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
George J. Cotsirilos
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
William Cousins
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Jeffrey H. Cramer
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Matthew C. Crowl
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Joseph J. Duffy
Former First Assistant U.S. Attorney
& Chief of the Criminal Division
Thomas A. Durkin
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Zack Fardon
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Gabriel A. Fuentes
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Chris C. Gair
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
John N. Gallo
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Alan Greiman
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Ted S. Helwig
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Patricia Brown Holmes
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Gary V. Johnson
Former Kane County State’s Attorney
Walter Jones
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Michael H. King
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
For Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
Organized Crime and Racketeering Section
John Kocoras
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Steven M. Kowal
Former U.S. Department of Justice Attorney
Michael Kreloff
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General
Scott Lassar
Former U.S. Attorney
Marvin Leavitt
Former Cook County Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
George N. Leighton
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former U.S. District Court Judge
Lori E. Lightfoot
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Robert A. Loeb
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Jeremy Margolis
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Former Special Assistant Lake County
State’s Attorney (Prosecutor of Hector Ruben Sanchez)
William J. Martin
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney (Chief Prosecutor
of Richard Speck)
Mary Ann G. McMorrow
Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Paddy McNamara
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Michael D. Monico
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jorge Montes
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Sheila Murphy
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Gordon B. Nash, Jr.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Lisa M. Nollar
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Mark D. Pollack
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Daniel M. Purdom
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Kwame Y. Raoul
Former Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney
Daniel E. Reidy
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Dom J. Rizzi
Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Ron S. Safer
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Stephen A. Schiller
Former Cook County Circuit Court
Judge
John R. Schmidt
Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General
Zaldwaynaka Scott
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Karen Shields
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Charles B. Sklarsky
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
Michele Smith
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
William E. Spizzirri
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
David J. Stetler
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jeffrey E. Stone
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jeanette Sublet
Former Assistant Cook County
State’s Attorney
James R. Streicker
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General
Thomas P. Sullivan
Former U.S. Attorney
James R. Thompson
Former U.S. Attorney
Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General
Ann C. Tighe
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Scott Turow
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Alexander S. Vesselinovitch
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
Dan K. Webb
Former U.S. Attorney
Warren D. Wolfson
Judge Former Illinois Appellate Court Justice
Former Cook County Circuit Court Judge
Sheldon T. Zenner
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney
(Letter to Governor Quinn, January 21, 2011). See Costs, Deterrence and Recent Legislative Activity.
