New Jersey Attorney General Zulima Farber (pictured) recently voiced her support for extending the state’s moratorium on executions, noting that she does not believe the death penalty is a “necessary tool” for prosecutors and believes capital punishment does not deter crime. “I don’t think it’s a deterrent. And I understand revenge. I think some people deserve it. But I don’t think it’s a necessary tool… . I don’t have a philosophical or religious opposition to the death penalty, I have a practical opposition to the death penalty,” Farber stated.

There are 10 people on New Jersey’s death row and the state hasn’t carried out an execution since 1963, a fact that Farber argues does not make the state less safe. She notes that death penalty cases are very costly and there is no assurance that the results will be perfect. Costs, the needs of victim’s family members, and questions about the fairness and accuracy of New Jersey’s death penalty are among the chief concerns that will be addressed by a task force that New Jersey legislators established in January 2006. “I support the moratorium being extended. I would welcome the analysis of data and whatever the commission is going to look at and I would not oppose cessation,” Farber concluded. (Associated Press, March 16, 2006).

See New Voices and Deterrence.

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