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"Shepherds lead, but flocks diverge on morality of death penalty"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the headline of this new piece in the Houston Chronicle.  Here is how it gets started: Last week, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law abolishing the death penalty in his state, adding the Land of Lincoln to the growing list of 16 states where capital punishment is no longer an option.... Quinn, who is Catholic, revealed that he turned to his faith -- to the Bible and to Catholic leaders and tradition -- in contemplating the bill lawmakers delivered to him in January. The governor quoted Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the beloved archbishop of Chicago who died in 1996, saying, "In a complex, sophisticated democracy like ours, means other than the death penalty are available and can be used to protect society."  Religious leaders have been at the forefront of the death penalty abolitionist movement in Illinois and nationwide...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 17, 2011 (boomark / email).