USA - Illinois. Abolition of death penalty means job cuts

Abolition of death penalty means job cuts. The end of the death penalty in Illinois means the end of a job for about 3 dozen state employees. Today, State Appellate Defender Michael Pelletier began notifying 37 employees of his office that their posts are being eliminated now that Gov. Pat Quinn has abolished the death penalty and commuted the sentences of the 15 men on death row. Most of the workers are attorneys who handled death penalty cases as they moved through the court system. The cuts will save $4.7 million. There could be further savings once Pelletier negotiates new office space leases to account for the departures. The agency has offices in Chicago, Springfield and Belleville. In all, the Office of the State Appellate Defender has 280 employees and a budget of $26.6 million. That will drop about 18 % to $21.7 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1 because of the lack of need for the death penalty attorneys.