When Bill Jenkins’ sixteen year-old son, William, was shot and killed August 12, 1997 during a
robbery of the fast-food restaurant where he was on his second day of work,
Bill’s long-held opposition to the death penalty became more than just an intellectual exercise.
Through his own experience and through working with other victims, he became more certain in his position as
he saw the dramatic impact of capital punishment on those who had to endure the process he was ultimately spared.
Since that time, he has worked both locally and regionally, in Illinois, to educate the general public on the matters he has seen first-hand-capital punishment’s
hidden effects on victims and families,
the abuses and weaknesses in the judicial system, and the myths and realities of incarceration versus death.
Author of the much acclaimed book, What to Do When the Police Leave: A Guide to the First Days of Traumatic Loss,
Bill is a sought-after speaker for victims’ groups, law enforcement training, and conferences,
and a vocal advocate against capital punishment.
He concludes, “
Returning death for death brings neither peace nor healing to the injured parties and the resulting upheaval
and re-victimization of capital punishment at all levels of its implementation has far graver consequences
than are ever brought to light.”
Bill won the 2006 Edith Surgan Victim Activist of the Year award for NOVA - www.try-nova.org - the National Organization for Victims Assistance.
Links to Bill’s Journey:
