Ryan gives death penalty talk before prison

Standing before a crowded auditorium Friday at DePaul University, former Illinois Gov. George Ryan shook hands with Madison Hobley -- a death row prisoner exonerated by the Republican leader in 2003.

But while Hobley is now a free man, Ryan is heading to prison. In January, he is scheduled to begin a 6 1/2 year federal term for his part in a corruption scandal.

“People say that the death penalty deters crime,” said Ryan, 72. “I don’t believe that. And I don’t believe most people believe that.”

Ryan elevated the national debate on capital punishment after he called a moratorium on executions in 2000 and commuted the death sentences of more than 160 prisoners in 2003.

Ryan, who as a legislator had voted to reinstate capital punishment, made the decisions after research showed that numerous Illinois death row inmates -- including Hobley -- had been wrongly convicted.

Ryan’s speech, sponsored by the advocacy group Campaign to End the Death Penalty, was believed to be one of his last public appearances before he enters prison.

As Ryan spoke to the somber audience, it was clear that the his legacy -- both heralded as a hero nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and reviled as a classic example of the cronyism and political graft that has long tarnished this state’s history -- is something he neither dreamed of nor wanted.

Ryan declined to talk to reporters and refused to directly address either his federal conviction or how he’s preparing for his own prison term.

Instead, it was Hobley who broached the subject, albeit briefly.

“If there is a God that can touch a Republican that believed in the death penalty, and touched his heart to save someone like me ... then you’re going to be all right,” Hobley said. “I’m praying for you, Gov. Ryan.”

Although death penalty foes have praised Ryan for questioning the system, his critics have accused him of using the debate to deflect attention from a federal probe into his and his administration’s wrongdoings.

In April, a jury found Ryan guilty of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts for himself and his family in exchange for steering millions of dollars’ worth of state business to friends and associates. The trial covered crimes from 1991 to early 2003, when Ryan was Illinois’ secretary of state and governor.

Amanda Curtis, a recent college graduate and death penalty critic, had come to see Ryan speak to see if he’d offer some explanation for his own crimes. She left still grasping for answers.

“My parents voted for him. So did my brother. So did I,” said Curtis, 32. “But I still don’t know why Gov. Ryan did it. How could a man who did such good for society have also done so much wrong?”

Walking through the lobby after the speech, Curtis stopped before a poster that advertised a silent auction for a pair of pictures painted by prisoners and “autographed” by Ryan. The money was to be donated to a local anti-death penalty group.

Curtis shook her head and walked away.