Sen. Durbin says States Should Decide How to Enforce Death Penalty Cases

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is weighing in on the death penalty as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn mulls over whether to repeal it in the state.

Durbin said on a federal level, the death penalty should be left open on high-profile cases, like terrorism or treason where he said there is less of a chance that prejudice could lead to someone being falsely executed. But Durbin noted that on a regional level, states should decide for themselves how they want to enforce it.

"I think that on a state basis, I will leave it to the governor to make his own choice," Durbin said, who noted that a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois has been in place for more than a decade. "I think we are right in Illinois at this point in our history to have suspended the death penalty, and should continue to do so."

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have already ended capital punishment. Governor Quinn has said he supports the death penalty when it is properly applied, but it is still unclear how Quinn will move forward with the legislation. More than a dozen death row inmates have been exonerated in Illinois.

(Photo by Sean Powers/WILL)