Assembly to move to abolish death penalty

Sr. Helen Prejean

The Associated Press - November, 9 2007

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ­ The state Assembly will vote on Dec. 13 to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life without parole, the house's leader said Friday after meeting with the Roman Catholic nun of "Dead Man Walking" fame.

If approved by lawmakers and Gov. Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey would be the first state to legislatively abolish capital punishment since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated it in 1976.

"The time has come," Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. said after a breakfast meeting in his office with Sister Helen Prejean.

Roberts, D-Camden, called the death penalty "flawed public policy" that is costly, discriminatory, immoral and cruel.

"The consequences are irreparable if mistakes are made," he said.

Prejean said New Jersey's plan, if approved, will make the state a global leader in the fight against executions.

"This is such a special moment," Prejean said. "New Jersey is going to be a beacon on the hill."

A Senate committee approved abolishing the death penalty in May, but the Senate didn't give the bill further consideration. It wasn't immediately clear Friday how the Senate would proceed.

It hasn't received any Assembly consideration.

Corzine has said he supports abolishing the death penalty.

The bill stems from a January report by a special state commission that found the death penalty was a more expensive sentence than life in prison and didn't deter murder.

New Jersey reinstated the death penalty in 1982 but hasn't executed anyone since 1963. The Legislature imposed an execution moratorium in December 2005 when it formed the commission that studied the death penalty.

"The New Jersey death penalty has become a paper deterrent, the epitome of false security," Roberts said.

The state has eight men on death row.

Capital punishment is in force in 38 states. If the measure passes, New Jersey would be the 13th state with no death penalty.

Prejean (pictured) is the author of "Dead Man Walking," which was made into an Oscar-winning movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. She has served as the spiritual adviser to six death row inmates.

Source : NCADP