New Jersey Senate Passes Death Penalty Moratorium
The New Jersey Senate today passed a one year moratorium on the death penalty.
A co-sponsor, Sen. Robert J. Martin, R-Morris and Passaic, noted that 50 of the 60 death sentences imposed since the penalty was reinstated in 1982 have been overturned. "Something is fundamentally flawed with that statute," Martin said.
If passed, New Jersey will be the first state in the modern era to legislatively enact a moratorium. Maryland and Illinois have imposed moratoriums based on executive orders. More details:
The state has 10 men on death row. The bill the Senate will consider would create a death penalty study commission to scrutinize the state's death penalty law, particularly whether it is applied fairly, its costs, whether it is a deterrent to crime and if it should be abolished. The commission would complete its work by Nov. 15, 2006. In the meantime, a moratorium would be imposed on all state executions until at least 60 days after the commission finishes its work.
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