Three cheers to our neighbor across the Hudson! New Jersey is now the first official state to outlaw the death penalty. The punishment was restored in the U.S. thirty-one years ago, but now there is a small slice of the Eastern Seaboard where it no longer exists. Yes, I know the majority of Americans support capital punishment, but ultimately in my mind that tenets of Gandhi hold to be more persuasive than public opinion. That was one of the reasons that the Garden State passed this landmark bill.
From The Washington Post:
The repeal bill follows the recommendation of a state commission that reported in January that the death penalty "is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency." But equally persuasive to lawmakers was not saving lives but money -- it costs more to keep a prisoner indefinitely on death row than incarcerated for life.
The repeal movement in New Jersey gained ground this year despite solid public support in the state for capital punishment, and over the objections of death penalty supporters who accused lawmakers of rushing the issue through a lame-duck session before a new legislature is installed next year. "It's a rush to judgment" said Robert Blecker, a New York Law School professor and prominent death penalty advocate.
Richard C. Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, hailed the New Jersey vote as "a first" but noted that it "is coming at a time when there is a reexamination of the death penalty going on." Dieter added, "It does give other legislatures the chance to say, 'Is this working in our state?' "
In fact, several states are considering abolishing the death penalty and others have done so by executive order or with an edict by the state's Supreme Court. New Jersey has seen this not only as promoting a civil society, but one that is fiscally prudent as well. If morals aren't enough for a politician, saving money is always something that can persuade as well. In addition, it also clears the courts of many appeals filed by death row inmates. Again, this is practical as well as morally correct.
Congrats to the New Jersey General Assembly and Governor Corzine.
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