The New York Times reports that Illinois has moved to the center of the death penalty debate. "The national debate over the death penalty returns to the stage here, with an unprecedented set of clemency hearings for nearly all 158 prisoners on Illinois' death row scheduled to begin Tuesday."

"Experts on false confessions, torture, mental retardation and witness identification are being flown in from California, New Mexico and Texas. Some 300 lawyers have prepared briefs."

"On trial are not just the people convicted of the murders, but the criminal justice system itself. Beyond the question of guilt or innocence, of course, is the question of proportionality and fairness of the sentencing process," said Rob Warden, director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University, which is helping coordinate the petitions for clemency. "Isn't it better that we let 10 absolutely guilty men who committed horrible crimes spend the rest of their lives in prison, rather than risk one, a single execution of an innocent person?"