Life After Death Row

Join the Illinois Pr*son Project on Jan. 13 for Life After Death Row: Commemorating 20 Years of Death Penalty Abolition in Illinois. This free event will bring together formerly incarcerated death penalty survivors, activists and movement lawyers to reflect on the fight to abolish capital punishment in Illinois, gather together in community and share visions for the future fights ahead.

On Jan. 12, 2003, then-Gov. George Ryan exercised his sweeping clemency powers to commute the sentences of all 167 people on death row to life in Pr*son. This momentous move, a product of decades of organizing by people both inside and outside prisons, effectively ended the death penalty in Illinois. The General Assembly codified this moratorium into law two months later.

But for the 167 people on death row, the governor exchanged one death sentence for another — from death by execution to death by incarceration, or life without the possibility of parole. For most, the fight for freedom continues today.

Twenty years later, we’ll gather to commemorate the end of state-sanctioned killing in Illinois. And we’ll hear from advocates about how the movement to end the death penalty has impacted and inspired current movements to end the injustice, exploitation and harm created and preserved by the legal system.

The evening’s program will include brief remarks from advocates who worked on the ground; a panel discussion featuring death penalty survivors and activists Renaldo Hudson and Marilyn Mulero and moderated by Alice Kim; artwork, poetry and archives from advocates fighting to end capital punishment; and a reception with light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

This event is free but tickets are required. We strongly encourage all attendees to be vaccinated, wear a mask while not actively eating or drinking and take a COVID-19 test prior to attending.

Host or Publisher Illinois Prison Project