The New York Times today calls on Illinois Governor George Ryan to grant blanket commutations to all prisoners on death row:

"Governor Ryan, a conservative Republican who voted for the death penalty as a legislator, has said repeatedly that he is considering a blanket commutation, which would reduce death sentences to life in prison. But last month's hearings, which received wide attention across the state, appear to have slowed the momentum. The testimony, much of it from families of murder victims, was often heart-wrenching. But as effective as they were as a reminder of the pain that crime causes, the hearings did not refute the fact that Illinois's use of the death penalty is tragically flawed. Governor Ryan, who has made fairness in administering the death penalty a hallmark of his governorship, will end his tenure on a high note if he takes one last stand for justice and issues a blanket commutation."