Gov. George Ryan of Illinois, a supporter of the death penalty, declares a moratorium on executions in the state. Citing the fact that more Illinois death row inmates have been released than put to death since the state resumed executions in the late 1970s, Ryan announces that he is creating a panel to study the capital punishment system and to investigate what went wrong in the cases where defendants were wrongly convicted. Two years later, the panel – made up of supporters and opponents of capital punishment – issues a 200-page report recommending 85 changes to the state’s death penalty system.