If moratorium is lifted, the policy states that 45 days before an execution, the Department of Corrections public information office distributes a press release inviting press to attend. Interested media members must send request on company letterhead to the public information office. There are 12 media witness slots available at each execution. One spot is reserved for The Associated Press. Eleven spots are drawn from a hat from the requests.
Officials provide witness reporters with a notebook and two pencils.
No other reporting tools are allowed. The department also provides journalists with a packet containing all legal materials pertinent to the prisoner s crime and the court s response. There are no forms journalists must fill out when requesting or setting up a prisoner interview. The Illinois DOC does ask that journalists seeking access to a state prison facility file their requests on company letterhead. They may also make requests by calling the department s public information office.