The New Jersey Senate voted Monday December 10 to make the state the first in the country to repeal the death penalty since 1976, when the United States Supreme Court set guidelines for the nation’s current system of capital punishment.
Legislators on both sides of the debate said they expected the measure to pass easily on Thursday in the General Assembly, where Democrats hold 50 of the 80 seats.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine, a staunch opponent of the death penalty, has said he would sign a measure ending executions
For additional information you can click on the following links to documents related to the death penalty issue in New Jersey:
New Jersey Death Penalty Commission Report