When Justice will be just that, justice, and justice, will not be a word mistaken for revenge. Revenge is not justice....and a system built upon revenge cannot be a system that is just.
Therefore, the time has come. The time has come that our state legislature is moving toward the abolition of the Death Penalty in ILLINOIS!
When our State Flag flies with an American Flag, I will be glad that our flags fly over a land that will be truly just and not a false justice based on vengeance.
The department in Illinois that deals with criminals is called the 'Department of CORRECTIONS'. Too often 'Correction' has turned into 'punishment' and 'revenge'.
While our system will not be perfect, we will at least be more just than before when this bill passes.
Therefore friends, I ask you today to pledge your support to SB 3539. That's right - that's the legislation that will abolish the death penalty. Call 217-782-2000 and ask for your representative by name.
2 AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3539 by replacing 3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
4 "Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 5Section 5.786 as follows:
6 (30 ILCS 105/5.786 new) 7 Sec. 5.786. The Death Penalty Abolition Fund.
8 Section 10. The Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 is 9amended by adding Section 119-1 as follows:
10 (725 ILCS 5/119-1 new) 11 Sec. 119-1. Death penalty abolished. 12 (a) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act 13of the 96th General Assembly, notwithstanding any other law to 14the contrary, the death penalty is abolished and a sentence to
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1death may not be imposed. 2 (b) All unobligated and unexpended moneys remaining in the 3Capital Litigation Trust Fund on the effective date of this 4amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly shall be 5transferred into the Death Penalty Abolition Fund, a special 6fund in the State treasury, to be expended by the Illinois 7Criminal Justice Information Authority, for services for 8families of victims of homicide or murder and for training of 9law enforcement personnel.
10 (725 ILCS 124/Act rep.) 11 Section 15. The Capital Crimes Litigation Act is repealed.
12 Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are 13severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.
14 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 152011, except that Section 15 takes effect January 1, 2012.".