Governor signs death penalty reforms At the same time...

Governor signs death penalty reforms At the same time he signed into law a sweeping reform of Illinois' death penalty. Gov. Rod Blagojevich also said he has no intention of lifting the state's moratorium on executing prisoners. And, he gave no indication of when he might. "Never is the system required to be more thoughtful, more careful and more certain than when a defendant's life is at stake," Blagojevich said before signing the law. "The citizens of our state can begin to renew their trust in their justice system. But until we know this system works, the current moratorium on executions in this state will remain in place." Joining the governor were Senate President Emil Jones, a Democrat, and Republican House leader Tom Cross, whom the governor praised as critical to the bill's passage. The bill had been in danger over a provision on how police who lie during testimony would be disciplined, but leaders managed to work out a compromise to everyone's satisfaction. Among the reforms in the new law:
- Judges will get a chance to interview jailhouse informants before letting them testify before a jury. Jailhouse informants are often considered unreliable because they sometimes lie to shorten their own sentences.
- If a judge disagrees with a jury's verdict, he can put his objections in writing as part of the court file, which means appellate courts can consider the judge's opinion as well as the jury's.
- The Illinois Supreme Court, if it disagrees with a trial court's decision, can overturn death sentences to one of life in prison.
- The state is prohibited from executing the mentally retarded.
- Prosecutors and police must turn over all files related to a suspect's case, including those which might be exculpatory.