Illinois Murder Indictments 2000-2010

On March 9, 2011 Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. Instrumental in his decision were the findings of the Illinois Committee to Study the Reform of the Death Penalty: between 2000-2010 more than $100 million of state money was spent out of the Capital Litigation Trust Fund on death penalty cases by county state's attorneys, appointed private counsel, the Attorney General and public defenders. This website's Project Director, Leigh Bienen, was a member of that Committee. The 2200 murder indictments which formed the body of evidence are gathered here; you can examine them via our interactive database, and they can also be downloaded. Extensive supporting material is included.

Leigh Bienen's previous websites—permanently archived with Northwestern University Library—include Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930 and The Life and Times of Florence Kelley in Chicago, 1891-1899. She collaborated with Mark Swindle for the design/information architecture of each.