DPIC Media Advisory: ILLINOIS COMMISSION ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TO RELEASE LANDMARK REPORT ON THE DEATH PENALTY

Untitled
MEDIA ADVISORY
Monday, April 15, 2002
Noon Central, 1:00 p.m. Eastern CONTACTS: Brenda Bowser, DPIC
(202) 293-6970 x215
Cell - (301) 906-4460
Valerie Holford, Fenton Communications
(202) 822-5200 x226
Cell - (202) 365-5336

ILLINOIS COMMISSION ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT TO RELEASE LANDMARK REPORT ON THE DEATH PENALTY

Reporters Nationwide Can Participate in Governor's Press Conference
by Conference Call

Commission Established after Governor Ryan Enacted
the Nation's First State Moratorium on Executions

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Monday, April 15, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) will host a national telephone news conference call featuring Illinois Governor George Ryan and members of his Commission on Capital Punishment as the State releases findings from the nation's most comprehensive death penalty study. The call will enable members of the media to listen to the Governor's joint press conference with the Commission, which will take place at Noon Central, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph St., Chicago.

Two years ago, Illinois Governor George Ryan appointed a 14-member Commission on Capital Punishment to closely examine Illinois's death penalty, and he declared the nation's only moratorium on executions until the review was completed. A milestone moment in America's quest for a fairer justice system, Ryan's step sparked an unprecedented series of events throughout the country. Prior to forming this commission, the Governor declared that his state's death penalty was fraught with error, noting: "[The Illinois capital punishment system is] so fraught with error and has come so close to the ultimate nightmare, the state's taking of innocent life."
WHAT: National Telephone News Conference regarding Illinois Announcement of Results from the Nation's Most Comprehensive Death Penalty Review WHO: Governor George Ryan
All 14 members of the Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment WHEN: Monday, April 15, 2002 at Noon Central, 1 p.m. Eastern Time

Please contact Brenda Bowser or Valerie Holford for the conference call phone number and passcode. DPIC can also put reporters in touch with a number of national experts and spokespersons who are available to comment on the report following its release. Background information on the Commission's work and Illinois is available at DPIC's Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment Web page # # # Return to Press Releases
Return to Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment