Equal Justice USA Press Release

Executions suspended in New Jersey

Bipartisan bill imposes nation’s first-ever legislative moratorium on capital punishment; comprehensive study of state’s death penalty system will begin amidst growing national concerns about death penalty

TRENTON – New Jersey Governor Richard J. Codey today signed S-709/A-2347, legislation requiring an immediate moratorium on all executions in New Jersey and creating a study commission that will undertake a comprehensive examination of the state’s current death penalty system. The bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 30-6 on December 15th, was approved Monday by a vote of 55-21 in the New Jersey Assembly. Codey’s action marks the first time that a State has enacted legislation imposing a moratorium on its death penalty. Illinois and Maryland have both imposed gubernatorial moratoria.

“New Jersey joins the growing list of states that recognize that the death penalty isn’t working,” said Shari Silberstein, Co-Director of the Quixote Center. “This is a common sense action in response to concerns that the death penalty risks executing the innocent, is unfairly applied, fails victims and law enforcement, and wastes millions of taxpayer dollars.”

According to an April 2005 public opinion survey by the Rutgers Bloustein Center for Survey Research, two-thirds of state residents (63%), including a majority of those who say they support the death penalty, favor the temporary suspension of executions. Similar polling in other states also reveals majority support for a moratorium and study.

The New Jersey moratorium comes amidst growing uneasiness about the death penalty across the country. Capital cases have been re-opened in Missouri and Texas because of evidence that those states may have executed innocent men. Last month, a Virginia death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after DNA evidence was destroyed in the case. On Monday, a California Assembly committee passed a moratorium bill, and North Carolina has instituted a legislative study of its death penalty system. Last year, after courts suspended New York’s death penalty, the State Assembly voted against its reinstatement. In total, 14 states introduced moratorium legislation in 2005.

“Americans simply don’t trust our nation’s system of death,” Silberstein said. “Death sentences have reached their lowest point in 30 years. New Jersey’s problems are not unique. Many states are stepping back, asking questions, and making changes.”

The Quixote Center is a national organization founded in 1976. The Center's Equal Justice USA program pioneered the national grassroots movement for a moratorium on executions in 1997. Nationwide, over 4,000 national and local groups, businesses, and faith communities have called for a halt to executions, including 144 local governments. (For a complete listing, call 301-699-0042 or see the National Tally at www.ejusa.org).

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