December 17, 2007

Corzine Signs Death Penalty Ban

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) this morning signed a bill abolishing the death penalty in the Garden State, making it the first state to ban capital punishment in four decades.

As he signed the bill, which was approved by the state legislature late last week, Corzine declared that "New Jersey is truly evolving." "I believe society first must determine if its endorsement of violence begets violence," he added. "To that, I answer yes. Therefore we must evolve to stop endorsing violence."

In addition to Corzine's moral argument for ending the death penalty, the bill appears to be a largely practical move, as the state has not carried out any executions since 1963. Lawmakers said the eight New Jersey prisoners currently sitting on death row would serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The Colisseum in Rome will be lit this evening to commemorate the new law, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. AP has more on this story, and The Gate has more on changing attitudes toward capital punishment in the U.S.

Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to: Crime, Governors, Jon Corzine
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