How hard is it for pardoned or released prisoners to find a job on the outside?
Very difficult, even if your record has been expunged. Employers want to know about the gap. It s hard to explain 16 or more years without a job. That goes for everything from getting an apartment, library card or a driver s license. Recently, the Illinois legislature passed reforms to make the death penalty more fair. Can you comment? The so-called reforms are definitely not enough in Illinois. The death penalty should abolished period. Regardless of any kind of reform, we know that there will be some corruption involved. It s a known fact that you cannot mix politics with justice. Although Gov. Blagojevich recently suggested that corrupt police should be disciplined, I don t think that s enough. They should lose their jobs and face criminal charges. So should anyone else involved in the corruption. Last year, when Ryan pardoned you, he also commuted all of Illinois death sentences to life in prison. What do you think about the fact that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a
