Death Penalty's Expensive, Lawyers Recommend Ending It

CHICAGO (WBBM) - A Chicago Bar Association committee is unanimously recommending an end to the death penalty in Illinois.

The 10-0 vote by the group's criminal law committee did not surprise retired Cook County Judge Sheila Murphy, who told the committee that multi-million dollar payouts being made by the city of Chicago and state of Illinois for wrongful death sentences is money that could be spent for far more useful purposes.

"We're in just terrible economic times," Judge Murphy said.  "The times are like my parents talked about in the Depression.  The state of Illinois is in deep rouble, and we should not be squandering money on the death penalty when there's such great need -- not just with victims but with the elderly, with children, for health care and for education."

Murphy cited studies elsewhere that have shown the cost of sentencing a criminal to natural life without parole is far less expensive than the costs of putting an inmate to death, when the costs of prosecution, appeals and legal defense are added up, not to mention expensive wrongful conviction sentences.

Exonerated death penalty inmate Madison Hobley is the latest to reach such a settlement.  Hobley is Moving to collect the bulk of a $7.5 million settlement with the city of Chicago.  Hobley claims he was tortured into making his confession in an arson fire that killed seven people.

Murphy also cited settlements totaling $36 million in the Ford Heights Four  case.    

Others argued that no perfect system of capital punishment can be devised.

"Our U.S. Supreme Court has said that it is inevitable that an innocent person is going to be put to death, (because) no system is perfect and none of us is perfect," said attorney Royal Berg, a member of the committee.  "So whatever system we as lawyer, judges and legislators design there will be a person who is going to be put to death wrongfully."

The committee chair, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Martin Moltz, said he anticipated the 10-0 vote, the first to be taken by Chicago Bar committees.  The group's human rights committee is expected to take a similar stand. Both votes will be forwarded to the Chicago Bar's legislative committee, and if it is approved there, the recommendation will go to the group's Board of Managers.

Moltz said the Board of managers could act by early March, and said if that were to happen, the Chicago Bar would join other lawyers' groups lobbying in Springfield to abolish the death penalty this spring. 

The Illinois State Bar Association announced its stand in July and the Chicago Council of Lawyers added its voice last month. 

llinois has had a moratorium on executions since the administration of former Gov. George Ryan.  Ryan emptied Death Row in one of his last acts as governor, in January 2003, but sentencing has continued.

llinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Executive Director Jeremy Schroeder was on hand for the vote, and said the Chicago Bar is merely recognizing a shift in public opinion.

"It's an extremely good sign going forward," Schroeder said.  "The time is now to abolish the death penalty.  I think public opinion is really starting to go that way."