January 31, 2000
Web posted at: 2:29 a.m. EST (0729 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

CHICAGO (CNN) -- After the exonerations of numerous death row inmates, Illinois Gov. George Ryan is expected to order a temporary halt to executions in his state Monday.

Illinois has freed 13 prisoners facing execution since reinstating the death penalty in 1977: It has conducted only 12 executions in the same period. As a result, Ryan also plans to order an extensive review of state court procedures in death-penalty cases, said Dennis Culloton, the governor's deputy press secretary.

"The governor is deeply concerned about the number of mistakes," Culloton said. "Thirteen people were almost killed by the state as a result of errors made by the system."

One prisoner, Anthony Porter, came within two days of execution before journalism students showed he was not guilty. He was released last year.

Earlier this month, Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against a former Chicago police officer who had been convicted and sentenced to die based on the word of a jailhouse informant.

Ryan, a Republican, still believes the death penalty is a proper societal response, Culloton said. But he "does not want to move forward until everyone can be absolutely sure that only the truly guilty would be executed."

Though Ryan "expects to take some heat over this," Culloton said, he did not expect the move to cause major problems for the governor.

"It's really not about politics. How could anyone be opposed to this when the system is so clearly flawed?" he said.

Of the 38 states with the death penalty, only Nebraska has taken a similar step. But after the state legislature passed a moratorium last year, the governor vetoed it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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