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Illinois Governor Commutes All Death Sentences
On January 11, 2003 Governor George Ryan ensured himself a place in the history of criminal justice reform by commuting the death sentences of 167 people. It was the most sweeping act of its kind by a governor in U.S. history.
Most of the 164 men and 3 women who …
Most of the 164 men and 3 women who …
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More from this issue:
- Beaten Philadelphia Prisoner Gets $125,000, Two Guards and Warden Get Time
- Compensating the Wrongly Convicted, or Not, by Matthew Clarke
- Veterans' Disability Check Unlawfully Seized to Pay State Restitution Fine, by John E Dannenberg
- Dallas Police Convicted of Framing Drug Defendants, DA Refuses to Help Innocent Prisoners
- California Prison Guards' Attorneys Convicted in Dog Mauling, by Marvin Mentor
- Kansas Tobacco Smuggling Conviction Upheld
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mississippi Pays $6 Million for Empty Prison Bunks
- Over 100 Prisoners Exonerated Through DNA, Government Cuts Funding, by Rex Bagley
- $35,000 Settlement in New York Jail Cell Door Injury
- Arkansas Prison Must Pay for Kosher Meals
- HIV Infections, AIDS Deaths Down in U.S. Prisons
- No Right to Renounce Citizenship - U.S. Not "at War"
- Injunctive Relief Ordered to Fix ADA Violations in California Parole Hearings, by John E Dannenberg
- Eighth Circuit: BOP Prisoners Have No Liberty Interest in Visits
- Compelled Oral Sex Satisfies PLRA's "Physical Injury" Requirement
- $240,000 Settlement in Florida Juvenile Boot Camp Suicide, by Lonnie Burton
- Secretly Recorded California Jail Phone Conversations May Be Used to Convict, by John E Dannenberg
- California Ad Seg Requires Opportunity to Present Views, Gang Debriefing Upheld
- Appointment of Counsel in New Jersey Medical Suit
- Texas Guard Stabbing Prisoner Not State Action Under § 1983
- Washington Supreme Court Reverses Parole Revocation for Failure to Record Hearing
- Joinder of Georgia Annual Parole Hearing Injunction is Rejected
- Trial Required in Death of Mentally Ilil Nevada Detainee, 9th Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment
- Joinder of Georgia Annual Parole Hearing Injunction Is Rejected, by Paul Wright
- Expert Testimony Required to Prove Causation
- $22,500 Award Upheld in Texas Gang Assault Set-up by Guards, by John E Dannenberg
- Guard's Prior Misconduct Wrongly Excluded from Rape Trial
- Arizona Governor Must Personally Decide Prisoner Clemency Denials
- BOP Ban on R-Rated Movies Challenged, by James Quigley
- Favorable Termination Rule Inapplicable to Conditions Claims
- Gov. Ryan's Song, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Illinois Governor Commutes All Death Sentences, by Michael Rigby
- Gay Bashing Illinois Guards to Pay $65,000 for Savage Beating
- Houston Crime Lab Closed, Prisoner Freed, by Michael Rigby
- Washington Guards Shoot Now, Ask Questions Later, by Roger Smith
- Prompt Mental Health Services Ordered for Arkansas Pretrial Detainees, by John E Dannenberg
- Alabama DOC Settles Mental Health Class Action, by James Quigley
- California Governor Has Carte Blanche in Denying Lifer Paroles, by Marvin Mentor
- No Qualified Immunity When Denying Pain Medication
- U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Sex Offender Registration Laws
- Habeas Granted in BOP Good Time Case
- News in Brief
- No Administrative Exhaustion in Idaho Child Support Modification
- Consultants Do Not Insulate Officials from Kosher Diet Liability
- $13 Million Approved for Study of Prisoner Rape
More from Michael Rigby:
- Report On Arizona Hostage Crisis May Never Be Released , Aug. 23, 2016
- Federal Jury Awards $45,001 to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted By Guards, Aug. 23, 2016
- Wisconsin Appeals Court Orders Photos Delivered to Prisoner, April 15, 2013
- New York: Indigent Defendants' Suit Over Non-representation Ruled Justiciable, March 15, 2013
- Trial and Conviction in Washington Jailhouse Courtroom Overturned, March 15, 2013
- Scientific Advances in Arson Investigations Reveal Wrongful Convictions, Jan. 15, 2013
- Ninth Circuit Rules Right to Court Access Violated When Lockdown Prevents Prisoner from Researching Issues Related to Direct Appeal, Nov. 15, 2011
- Some Agencies Balk at Releasing Prison Phone Data, April 15, 2011
- Facebook Lands Prison Guards, Prisoners in Hot Water, April 15, 2011
- Federal Restitution Law Failing Crime Victims, Jan. 15, 2011
More from these topics:
- Dissenter Excoriates SCOTUS for Denying Certiorari in Challenge to Constitutionality of Nitrogen Hypoxia Execution, Feb. 1, 2026. Death Penalty, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Capital Punishment, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Method of Execution.
- Federal Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Are Facing Retaliation by Trump, Feb. 1, 2026. Transfers, Pardons/Clemency, Death Row, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- 2025 Was a Deadly Year for Veterans Behind Bars, Jan. 1, 2026. Brain Injury, Death Penalty, Mental Health, Veterans, Mental Health Experts.
- Eighth Circuit Announces Presidential Commutation Does Not Moot Challenge to Underlying Sentence, Jan. 1, 2026. Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Qualifying Offenses, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Oklahoma Prisoner Found Unconscious in Cell Hours After Avoiding Execution, Dec. 1, 2025. Public Defenders, Pardons/Clemency, Life without Parole (LWOP), Death Penalty, Effective Assistance of Counsel.
- Ex-Wife of Minnesota DOC Commissioner Sentenced for Poisoning Attempt on Son, Dec. 1, 2025. Out of State Transfers, Sentencing, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Missouri Blocks Spiritual Advisors from Prison Pastor’s Execution, Nov. 1, 2025. Pardons/Clemency, Death Penalty, Lethal Injection Method of Execution, Religious Freedom/Worship, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- Eleventh Circuit Overturns 1990 Alabama Death Sentence Over Racially Biased Jury Selection; ACLU Report Shows It Is Still Happening, Nov. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Habeas Corpus, Death Penalty, Batson Claims, Racial Bias Exception.
- In the Killing Chamber, Oct. 1, 2025. Death Penalty, Death Row.

