Death penalty vote on Monday

Editor  says, "The bill, sponsored by Senators Raymond Lesniak, Shirley Turner and Nia Gill, would replace the death penalty with life in prison without parole."

The truth is the bill says, "Eliminates the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without eligibility for parole in certain circumstances"

The only two cirucmstances that replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without eligibility for parole are:

(1) If the victim was a law enforcement officer and was murdered while performing his official duties or was murdered because of his status as a law enforcement o and (2) If the murder victim is less than 14 years old and the act is committed in the course of the commission, whether alone or with one or more persons, of a violation of N.J.S.2C:14-2 (sexual assault) or N.J.S.2C:14-3 (criminal sexual contact)

This bill completely ignores rape without murder, apparently decides that the age of child is LESS THAN 14 years old (which means a 14  year old's killer can be eligible for parole after 30 years), completely hides the fact that life imprisonment really means 30 years until the criminal can be up for parole, and somehow gives anyone who would kill a child under the age of 14 a chance at parole so long as their crime didn't include sexual assault or criminal sexual contact.

I hate going into emotional appeals, but come on this is totally immoral and completely ignores the principles of true justice. If you take a life you lose the right to keep yours. Even Mike Huckabee, who's a Minister and one of the most pro-life people out there, recognized this in a recent debate. There are some crimes and criminals that are so atrocious that they do not deserve life.

The people deserve a chance to vote on this issue. The families who have lost a loved one deserve a chance at justice. Please leave the death penalty as an option, please at least give us the chance to vote on the issue via ballot question.

Does protection of life stop at birth for conservatives? Judging from the pro-war, pro-death penalty stances of many a conservative commentator, one would think just that. For example, while I respect ESedler's opinions, I do not think that having the government kill its own citizens sustains any type of justice for the family members of the deceased; on the contrary, the death penalty only sustains the type of blood lust and contrariness to just punishment that undermine our country's moral high ground. We are one of the last first-world nations that still has the death penalyt on its books; it's high time that our state set the standard for abolishing this draconian institution -- other states will follow suit.

If one, just one person, who is innocent has been killed through the death penalty, then this, in my estimation, completely invalidates the entire system. Unfortunately, multiple persons who have later been found to be innocent, including a case in Rhode Island, have been given a permanent death sentence. As a deterrent to crime, the death penalty has a questionable at best record, and I've looked at studies that say it does deter crime while others say that it does nothing to deter it whatsoever. And, of course, the state wastes tens of thousands per death row case, according to the latest study of the finances of the death penalty (see Bob Ingle's blog).

I encourage New Jersey lawmakers to pass this bill and support just and ethical ways to deal properly with crime and punishment. Having a government that sees fit to kill its own citizens under the aegis of justice (read: revenge) is neither ethical nor sensical. End this cruel and unusual form of punishment now, New Jersey.

Capital punishment is a waste of valuable resources that could be spent making NJ a safer place to live and work in. It is not an exact amount that can be stated but it is a huge sum of money. The figures can be found by the url provided below. The money can be used for more cops and more rehabilitation program for narcotic offenders. More cops have been shown to increase public saftey. Drug treatment programs reduce drug users which comitt street crimes to feed their habit.

Capitol punishment does not have any conclusive deterrent effect. There is simply not enough data to conclude that it has a deterrent effect. Justice does not have to mean eye for an eye. Do we rape rapist? Do we steal from thieves?

It is a process that revictimizes the survivors of homicide, the family. They are truly the victims. It is not fair to open thier wounds by going through long apeal processes which is necesary in capital trials. If there was a limit on the amount of habeas corpus appeals, then a gross injustice may occur, the execution of a not guilty person. Habeas corpus is a pillar of our civil liberties system.

Every economic conservative should be in favor of abolition of capital punishment. There are savings to be made in the budget.

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/committees/dpsc_final.pdf

 From the oringinal bill's statement:

The bill amends N.J.S.2C:11-3 to remove the references to current subsection c. concerning the death penalty.  Under the bill, murder generally would be punishable by a  court to a term of 30 years, during which the person shall not be eligible for parole, or to a specific term of years which shall be between 30 years and life imprisonment of which the person shall serve 30 years before being eligible for parole.  There are certain provisions for sentencing by a court to a term of life imprisonment during which the defendant shall not be eligible for parole.

These circumstances are:

     (1) If the victim was a law enforcement officer and was murdered while performing his official duties or was murdered because of his status as a law enforcement officer;

     (2) If the murder victim is less than 14 years old and the act is committed in the course of the commission, whether alone or with one or more persons, of a violation of N.J.S.2C:14-2 (sexual assault) or N.J.S.2C:14-3 (criminal sexual contact); and

     (3)If certain aggravators exist.

 The bill doesn not say what  "certain aggravators are"

However I did find out that they substituted the bill last week with a new list of add-ons. I  haven't read it and I'm still not quite sure what the new list means, but you can see what I saw in the bills statement to think that it was the only two factors.

It really doesn't change my opinion, by what I skimmed over in the add-on I see that they designate a child as younger than 14. I could of sworn one was not an adult until they turned 18. I still would think that it is important to keep the option of the death penalty, even it rarely is used.

Never the less, I apologize for the mistake. I still wish that we the people could vote on it. I think  people in favor of the bill wouldn't be opposed to that, especially during a high turnout year. I wouldn't complain if the vote didn't go my way, can't ignore the will of the people, but we'll never know since they are doing this during lame duck and new jersey has checked out of politics for now.

One other thing I must say to Martin, I don't think anyone is pro-war. War is hell. Alas, war is sometimes necessary, such as the case with World War II. I'm not going to dispute which other wars are necessary, but I don't think it's fair to label anyone pro-war.

As far as the death penalty goes, since I'm not overwhelmingly pro-life (I lean towards pro-life with exceptions, but I don't think it's the government's business to decide what a woman should decide on her own), it's not in that comparison for me. I just believe heavily in  justice and the idea that those who willingly take a life forfeit their own.