Death Penalty Moratorium

So the American Bar Assn. supports a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois (Commentary, Feb. 9). If they looked closely at death penalty cases and actual executions they’d note there already is a moratorium on executions.

In California, the rate of executions of death row inmates translates to over 200 years to execute the current death row population. In Illinois, most death row inmates will have already passed away before an execution date has been set. I feel the major flaw in the death penalty is that it is only carried out in about 10% of all cases now, except in Texas and Florida. And it takes more than 10 years from trial to the final walk down the green mile.

SOL TAYLOR

Sherman Oaks

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I applaud Gov. George Ryan of Illinois, who has halted all executions in his state because he became convinced the death penalty system was “broken.” I hope someday every state in the the U.S. will become civilized enough to do away with the death penalty completely, as nearly every other country has done. To be in the same league with Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan does us no credit.

The American Bar Assn. is taking a step in the right direction in calling for a halt to executions until policies are adopted to ensure fundamental fairness and due process.

JEAN KOCH

Los Angeles