
Sentencing Alternatives
Nov 01, 2018
LWOP Post-Repeal
Life Without Parole Laws in States That Recently Repealed the Death Penalty…
State And Federal Info
In 2007, the sentences of all 8 inmates on death row were commuted to life without parole the day prior to the abolition of the death penalty in New Jersey.
Inmates commuted: David Cooper, Ambrose Harris, Nathaniel Harvey, Sean Kennety, John Martini, Jessie Timmendequas, Marko Bey and Brian Wakefield.
A state appeals court ruled in 2004 that New Jersey’s procedures for administering the death penalty were unconstitutional. The state rewrote the procedures but never finalized them, and they expired in 2005.
In 2005, New Jersey lawmakers voted to suspend executions while a study commission examined the fairness and expense of the state’s death penalty. Governor Richard Codey signed the bill on January 12, 2006.
In 2007, a bill to replace the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole passed the state Senate and General Assembly and was signed by the governor.
New Jersey was the first state to legislatively abolish the death penalty since 1965.
The first electric chair was invented by Harold P. Brown and Arthur Kennelly at Thomas Edison’s New Jersey laboratory in 1888.
No executions were carried out in New Jersey between reinstatement in 1982 and abolition in 2007.
New Jersey was the first state to impose a moratorium on executions through legislation.
Sentencing Alternatives
Nov 01, 2018
Life Without Parole Laws in States That Recently Repealed the Death Penalty…
Deterrence
Jan 12, 2018
States that have recently abolished the death penalty have not experienced the “parade of horribles” — including increased murder rates — predicted by death-penalty proponents, according to death-penalty experts who participated in a panel discussion …
Intellectual Disability
Dec 28, 2017
A New Jersey U.S. district court judge has barred federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Farad Roland, finding that Roland is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for capital punish…
Costs
Dec 18, 2017
On December 17, 2007, New Jersey abolished the death penalty. On the tenth anniversary of abolition, the editorial board of the New Jersey Law Journal writes, “On …
Innocence
Jul 23, 2012
One of the principal causes of wrongful convictions in death penalty cases and other felonies is mistaken eyewitness testimony. On July 19, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued instructions designed to help jurors better evaluate t…
New Voices
May 30, 2012
Jeff Chiesa was recenty sworn in as New Jersey’s new Attorney General. He formerly served as chief counsel and executive assistant to Governor Chris Christie. In discussing his priorities, he said he would not support reinstatement of the death pe…
Innocence
Dec 05, 2011
The U.S. Supreme Court recently considered Perry v. New Hampshire, a case questioning the validity of eyewitness testimony when the identification was made under unreliable circumstances.…
Deterrence
Jan 13, 2011
Four law enforcement officials from various countries who came together in Washington, D.C., in 2010 for a groundbreaking international dialogue on the death penalty recently published an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News
Dec 17, 2007
NEWS RELEASEGovernor Jon S. CorzineDecember 17, 2007 FOR MORE INFORMATION:Press Office609-777‑2600 Governor Jon S. CorzineRemarks as DeliveredDecember 17, 2007
Religion
Dec 13, 2007
by Michal LandoDecember 13, 2007Jerusalem Post New Jersey is on its way to becoming the first state to repeal the death penalty since 1976, when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment, and Jews are using tradition to we…