Archive for the ‘abolish’ Category

December 19th, 2007

Tennessee Op-Eds on New Jersey

A significant amount of media attention has been focused on the death penalty as of late especially with New Jersey’s recent abolition. Much of that attention has been in the great state of Tennessee including this recent op-ed column in The Tennessean that can be found HERE. The op-ed column has also appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Tennessee’s interest in capital punishment shouldn’t come as a surprise. The state recently exonerated Michael McCormick of Chattanooga who served 15 years on Tennessee’s death row. Tennessee is also currently studying the administration of the death penalty in a special committee created by the state legislature. Also, Governor Bredesen commuted the sentence of an individual on Tennessee’s death row to life in prison.


Today, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine (photo above, Jeff Zelevanksy/Bloomberg News) signed legislation that makes New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty in forty years. The eight men on death row in that state have 60 days to decide if they will drop all their appeals and accept sentences of life without parole. The abolition of the death penalty in New Jersey is a great gift to the people of that state, insuring that innocent people will not be executed and that the millions of dollars formerly used on the death penalty system will now be used for programs which actually prevent violent crime and support victims’ families. Read more here.

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