Death Penalty Divisive In N.J.

As State Outlaws Executions, Persuasive Voices Can Be Heard On Both Sides Of The Issue

(CBS)  New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine plans to sign a historic bill on Monday, outlawing the death penalty. The New Jersey state legislature this week became the nation's first legislative body to vote to outlaw executions since the Supreme Court re-opened the door to capital punishment in this country in 1976.

In Europe, where the death penalty is abolished, Rome will light up its landmark Coliseum to praise the move Monday, reports CBS News Correspondent Michelle Miller.

Eddie Hicks doesn't believe in the death penalty. Not even for his daughter's killer.

"For one thing, it won't bring my daughter back," Hicks says.

Jamila was shot dead seven years ago by a man in a fight with her brother. For Hicks, a life sentence would be true justice.

"Lock them up, slam the door behind them, and throw away the key," he says

The former Marine and retired firefighter felt vindicated when recommendations by a commission he sat on were accepted by New Jersey's legislature which voted to abolish the death penalty in the state.

Marilyn Flax's husband Irving was murdered in 1989 by his kidnapper, John Martini, who had killed three other people before. Martini was sentenced to die in 1991.

"He should have been executed many, many years ago. I am stuck in limbo with a lot of pain, a lot of anger a lot of frustration," Flax says.

New Jersey hasn't executed an inmate since 1963. Eight men currently reside on death row, and while many doubt the state would have carried out their sentences, the vote provides a legal alternative - life without the possibility of parole.

All but 13 states and the District of Columbia have the death penalty. There were bills to ban it in five other states this year; none passed. And executions across the country have declined by more than half since 2000.

"In practice, 40 out of the 50 states in the U.S. this year had no executions. There were 42 executions; almost all of them were in Texas," says Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

New Jersey found abolishing the death penalty would save the state millions in costly prosecutions and court-mandated appeals. Then there's the risk of making an irreversible mistake, as DNA and other new evidence clears more prisoners. Last week in North Carolina, death row inmate Jonathan Hoffman became the 126th exonerated since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in the 1970s.

"It's vengeance, it's not justice," Eddie Hicks says.

For now, in one more state, that is the prevailing view. While some families of murder victims staunchly disagree.

[erichsh]

Here in NJ, it was a non-issue anyway; we already had a de-facto ban against the death penalty. At least now the ultra-liberal Supreme Court no longer has to invent bizarre, non-sensical excuses to throw out every death penalty case ever brought before it.

I don''t believe the death penalty works in the United States. Not that I am against the death penalty - its just people don''t see the killer die, so it really doesn''t effect people very much.

I think a lot of money and time can be saved if we give killers a life sentence with no parole.

Then if someone were to kill someone I loved, the state would not have to worry about what sentence it was going to give...my sentence for them would torture, and slow death! And the state could do nothing to stop me!

Merry Christmas

[runningralph]

I don''t understand why people want to keep them around. These murdering maniacs, perverts, psychopaths, child rapists. Why not get rid of them? Does anyone think they will ever be law abiding taxpayers? I say get rid of these rotten scum, especially if they are drug abusers or lunatics who have committed murder. Take away the insanity defense and the drug abuse defense. Where is the benefit to keeping them in prison?

[samthetvcat]

Don''t something like 70% of NJ residents support the death penalty? There''s an epidemic of State Supreme Court Justices thwarting the will of the people by manipulating the law to suit their own personal needs - if they weren''t against the death penalty before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, they become it once they realize they''re the possibly the person''s last chance at life and they don''t want that on their conscience. It''s so irresponsible imo

[jasonmcj]

The commnets here are ignorant and saddening.

Killing another person does not bring justice or remove the pain. It does not prevent others from committing the same crimes. Execution is also more expensive than a lifetime of incarceration. Drugs destroy the mind and remove good judgement. Lunatics are crazy and cannot control many of their thoughts and actions. It is sad when ignorace such as your can be used to make laws that affect us all, with no regard given to science, human nature, or the consequences we have created as a society, yet fail to deal with. Want a real solution? Legalizr drugs, tax them, regulate treatment, Outlaw the manufacture and possesion of guns. America is too far past crazy to even cosider those options, so just get used to more violence and depravity as time does by.

[sliptip1]

New Jersey hasn''t executed anyone since 1963? So what''s the big deal about officially abolishing the death penalty? They really never had one in the first place.

[jasonmcj]

Yeah, every commnet here completely ignores facts. No wonder there are no real intelligent discussion here. Only racist, bigoted, "blame the liberals" nonsense. I will present this fact to you so-called conservatives. The majority is not always correct. Example: segregation. Conservative just can''t accept that they are not right, their brain doesn;t register that reaction, so the only thing they can do, instinctively, is blame others, the enemy, liberals. How crude and barbaric. Now go fearmonger somewhere else.

[phillynets-2009]

this is a red herring issue to detract from the state''s financial mess. NJ doesn''t execute people. Keep it on the books or take it off - it''s a BS issue.

[phillynets-2009]

Regardless of what I think about the Death Penalty - I''m against it - NJ''s actions are a smoke screen for all the other things they are doing (like stealing out grandchildren''s money) and not doing (like refraining from stealing our grandchildren''s money).

It''s pathetic that anyone would actually carry this story on it face. This is why Katie is flopping. Either she can''t probe for hard news, or CBS doesn''t have anyone left who doesn''t just read press releases for a living.

[sliptip1]

No one executed since 1963? So New Jersey hasn''t had a death penalty in over four decades. What''s the big deal with officially acknowledging that?

[sliptip1]

No one executed since 1963? So New Jersey hasn''t had a death penalty in over four decades. What''s the big deal with officially acknowledging that?