Abolish New Jersey's Death Penalty?
Should New Jersey abolish the death penalty?
It could happen.
The state Legislature put a moratorium on executions at the end of 2005 when the death penalty study commission was formed.
The commission concluded in January that it cost taxpayers more than life imprisonment and did not deter crime.
That cost notion represents the expenses of the normal, lengthy repeals process, a curious angle indeed.
The State Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-2 last week to release a bill that would replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole, a policy in a dozen other states.
The Assembly has not considered it yet, but the Assembly speaker reportedly supports it and Gov. Jon Corzine opposes capital punishment.
The legislation would not affect death sentences in the federal system, where the suspected Fort Dix plotters would be prosecuted, for example.
New Jersey reinstated the death penalty in 1982, but hasn’t executed anyone since 1963.
It is hard to imagine a more sensitive, passionate and emotional issue. How do you feel?
posted by Joe Zelnik @ 8:38 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
My grandmother, who passed away in 2000, had a unique perspective on this topic. Nan believed that in cases where the defendant was found guilty of the crime against another human being that may or may not result in the death penalty, the sentence should be determined by the victim's loved ones.
Let the father and mother of the molested child decide what the perp's punishment should be. Let the husband of the pregnant woman, gunned down while shopping in a convenience store, pass sentence on the criminal. Let the sister of the police officer killed in the line of duty choose the shooter's fate. Let the family of the man killed by the drunk driver agree on how the killer will pay his debt. Let the parents of the woman beaten to death by her abusive boyfriend judge his final sentencing.
These are the people most affected by the crime and by the punishment. Let the laws remain in effect that would allow them to settle the matter in the way that best suits their beliefs and their conscience.
And don't even talk about the "rights" of the guilty (note, GUILTY). They forfeited any rights and protection they may have had when they made the decision to break society's laws and bring harm others.
The death penalty does not deter crime? How asinine. One from one equals zero. Hard to be a repeat offender after that. Now that's deterrence! As for it being more expensive; it's the exaggerated appeal process that eats the expense, not the execution. And did you say the governor is for the repeal of the death penalty? How appropriate that Corzine should take up the cause of the accused over that of the victim. In light of recent events, he's not all that law-abiding himself, is he?
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