Former Illinois Gov. calls prison term “waste of time” at a book signing in Springfield

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan. (Photo courtesy: Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – When the obituary of former Gov. George Ryan is written, two things will be mentioned at the top: his commutation of death sentences, effectively ending capital punishment in Illinois; and his conviction for a licenses-for-bribes scheme from when he was secretary of state.

Ryan says he was “a victim,” that his prison term was “an absolute waste of time,” and that he has a “clean conscience.”

His epiphany about the death penalty came when he and his wife met Anthony Porter, who spent fifteen years as an innocent man on Death Row: “And I said to my wife, ‘How does that happen in America?’”

Ryan’s written a book about that experience, “Until I Could Be Sure.” He signed copies in Springfield Tuesday.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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