New Jersey first state to abolish death penalty

TRENTON, N.J. — After more than two hours of emotional debate about justice and retribution, the New Jersey Assembly on Dec. 13 gave final approval to a bill to abolish the state’s death penalty, sending the measure to the desk of a governor who is eager to sign it into law. The lawmakers voted 44–36 to replace the state’s never-used death penalty with life in prison without parole. The Senate passed the bill Dec. 10. Gov. Jon Corzine said he expects to sign it in a matter of days, making New Jersey the first state to repeal its capital punishment law in more than 30 years.

The state’s death penalty law has been on the books since 1982, six years after the U.S. Supreme Court set forth the guidelines that allowed states to execute criminal defendants, but has never been carried out.
The state Death Penalty Study Commission completed a study of all aspects of the death penalty in New Jersey in January, concluding that there is no compelling evidence that it serves a legitimate purpose, that life in prison as a penalty for the worst crimes would sufficiently protect the public and that whatever good might be served by executing a small number of guilty persons would not justify the risk of executing an innocent one.