In November, 2003, the Illinois legislature enacted a series of death penalty reforms. One called for the creation of a state committee to study problems in the system. The committee was supposed to issue a report three months ago. It didn't. Why? Because it met for the first time this Monday.

Current Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has maintained the moratorium on the death penalty put in place by former Governor George Ryan, did not appoint his delegate to the Committee until last week. During the time that the Committee should have been constituted and preparing a report, the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty reports that flaws in the system continue:

The flaws include coerced confessions, crime-lab errors, prosecutors withholding key evidence from defense attorneys, using paid informants, seeking the death penalty for mentally ill defendants and pursuing capital punishment when guilt is not certain, the coalition said in releasing a new report.