Illinois Governor Quinn signs death penalty ban

Reuters, CHICAGO | Wed Mar 9, 2011

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn gestures at a news conference introducing
the 2010 Ford Taurus at the Ford assembly plant in Chicago, Illinois
August 4, 2009. (Credit: Reuters/Frank Polich)

(Reuters) - The governor of Illinois signed a law on Wednesday abolishing capital punishment, an issue that has roiled the state since revelations of wrongful convictions led to a decade-long moratorium on executions.

When the law signed by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn takes effect on July 1, Illinois will become the fourth state in the past two years after New York, New Jersey and New Mexico to dispense with the death penalty.

The ultimate punishment will still be an option in 34 states and for federal inmates. Most Western democracies no longer carry out executions.

(Writing by Mary Wisniewski, Editing by Greg McCune and Jerry Norton)

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