Host Ira Glass plays parts of a speech by George Ryan, former Governor of Illinois. When he was a state senator in 1977, Ryan was part of a successful coalition that voted to reinstate the death penalty in Illinois. Two decades later, he became governor and had to make the final decision in state capital cases—cases which he'd helped bring about 20 years earlier. He found that the death penalty looks a lot different when you're the one who bears final responsibility for whether someone lives or dies. (5 minutes)