On the Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich recently appointed MVFHR member Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins to the state’s Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee (CPRSC), which was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 2003 to monitor the reforms put in place after the governor’s commission’s recommendations were implemented.

Jennifer, currently the only victim's family member on the committee, will serve on the subcommittee that handles post-conviction, DNA, and miscellaneous issues; victims’ issues fall under the miscellaneous category. Jennifer has testified before the committee and was asked questions about discrimination against victims who oppose the death penalty and the problems inherent in victims’ services being part of the prosecutor’s office, so Jennifer anticipates that these will be among the issues about which she will be informing other members of the committee.

In writing to announce this news, Jennifer commented to us, “The governor appointed me because he knows of my work with gun violence victims; we have worked together on victims’ issues. I think this is important, to establish strong political relationships by doing work to help victims across the board. It gives us credibility as advocates when we stand on the death penalty as we do.”