Although Gov. George Ryan’s decision on Saturday to grant mass clemency may mark the end of his fight to reform the death penalty, it is only the beginning for the state of Illinois.

Ryan’s decision to commute the sentences of all 167 death row inmates to life in prison without parole (in three cases, to 40 years in prison) was the largest clearing of death row by any outgoing governor in American history. It has drawn national attention to the flaws in the administration of capital punishment. Ryan deserves praise for taking powerful and noble action on such an important cause.

But while recognizing the importance of Saturday’s announcement, we must not forget that granting clemency does nothing to fix the shortcomings of our criminal justice system. Rod Blagojevich, the incoming Democratic governor, already has criticized Ryan’s decision to grant clemency. And although Blagojevich has said he intends to maintain the moratorium on the death penalty for now, a governor of Illinois eventually will clear the way for more executions.

Before that happens, the legislature needs to overhaul the state’s criminal justice system. Ryan cited the legislature’s failure to reform the system as one of the main reasons he granted clemency.

Under Ryan’s tenure, the state legislature refused to implement such reforms as requiring police to videotape custodial interrogations and to follow identification procedures that would reduce the risk of false positives.

We hope that with last week’s changeover in power, the legislature has fallen into the hands of lawmakers more sympathetic to guaranteeing the accused their civil rights. Springfield has dragged its feet on death penalty reform long enough, and it’s time for decisive action.

While lawmakers take up for the fourth time the flaws in the administration of Illinois’s death penalty, they also should focus some attention on the need for reforms in non-capital cases. Defendants wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison rarely receive as much attention as capital defendants. While this is understandable, forcing innocent men and women to pass their lives in jail is just as repugnant as taking their lives.

On all counts, the people of Illinois deserve better. We hope the legislature will recognize that.