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fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
With the stroke of a pen this morning, Gov. Jon Corzine made New Jersey the first state to repeal its death penalty in the modern era of capital punishment.
"Today, New Jersey is truly evolving," Corzine said. I believe society must first determine if its endorsement of violence begets violence and undermines the sanctity of life. ... I answer "Yes," and therefore I believe we must evolve to ending that endorsement."
Corzine signed a bill that had been fast-tracked through the Legislature in its end of the year "lame duck" session. In the past two weeks, the measure was heard in committee and passed out of both the Senate and the Assembly with the narrowest of majorities after impassioned floor debates.
New Jersey has not exectued anyone in 44 years. The Legislature reinstated the death penalty in 1982. Sponsors of the bill have said that the eight inmates remaining on death row will serve the rest of their lives in prison without possibility of parole.
The legislative action the past days has made New Jersey a focal point among opponents of the death penalty and garnered national media attention. Corzine's ceremonial signing of the bill in his outer office was jam-packed with network TV news and outlets from across the Northeast.
The effect of the bill signing reached far beyond New Jersey and the United States.
New Jersey's action will be recognized in Rome, when the Italian capital flushes golden light through the arches of the Colosseum for 24 hours to celebrate the abolishment. The areana, once the site of deadly gladiator combat and executions, has become a symbol of the fight against capital punishment. Since 1999, the 1st century monument has been bathed in golden light every time a death sentence is commuted.
There are now 36 states with the death penalty. There are more than 3,300 inmates on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
State residents remain split on capital punishment. In a Quinnipiac University poll taken last week, voters were opposed to ending the death penalty by a margin of 53 percent to 39 percent. By nearly the same margin, they also expressed a preference for life in prison without parole for most murder convicts.
Nearly 80 percent said they support keeping the death penalty for the most violent cases.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/nj_death_penalty_is_expected_t.html
"Today, New Jersey is truly evolving," Corzine said. I believe society must first determine if its endorsement of violence begets violence and undermines the sanctity of life. ... I answer "Yes," and therefore I believe we must evolve to ending that endorsement."
Corzine signed a bill that had been fast-tracked through the Legislature in its end of the year "lame duck" session. In the past two weeks, the measure was heard in committee and passed out of both the Senate and the Assembly with the narrowest of majorities after impassioned floor debates.
New Jersey has not exectued anyone in 44 years. The Legislature reinstated the death penalty in 1982. Sponsors of the bill have said that the eight inmates remaining on death row will serve the rest of their lives in prison without possibility of parole.
The legislative action the past days has made New Jersey a focal point among opponents of the death penalty and garnered national media attention. Corzine's ceremonial signing of the bill in his outer office was jam-packed with network TV news and outlets from across the Northeast.
The effect of the bill signing reached far beyond New Jersey and the United States.
New Jersey's action will be recognized in Rome, when the Italian capital flushes golden light through the arches of the Colosseum for 24 hours to celebrate the abolishment. The areana, once the site of deadly gladiator combat and executions, has become a symbol of the fight against capital punishment. Since 1999, the 1st century monument has been bathed in golden light every time a death sentence is commuted.
There are now 36 states with the death penalty. There are more than 3,300 inmates on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
State residents remain split on capital punishment. In a Quinnipiac University poll taken last week, voters were opposed to ending the death penalty by a margin of 53 percent to 39 percent. By nearly the same margin, they also expressed a preference for life in prison without parole for most murder convicts.
Nearly 80 percent said they support keeping the death penalty for the most violent cases.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/nj_death_penalty_is_expected_t.html
