Chipping Away at the Death Penalty

Some very good news to bring cheer this Christmas Season from the Great State of New Jersey:

"New Jersey lawmakers approved legislation this week to abolish the death penalty, poising the state to become the first in the nation since 1965 to repeal capital punishment.

The state General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, voted 44 to 36 on Thursday to repeal the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole. The decision comes just days after the state Senate approved the abolition bill, 21 to 16, on Monday.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine has pledged to sign the bill, which would grant reprieve for the state’s eight inmates on death row, within a week. "

Okay, this is more of symbolic move, since New Jersey hasn't actually executed anyone since the early 1960s. But it does send a message that many in the United States would like to end the scourge of capital punishment. When will America finally join the ranks of civilized nations and end this barbaric practice once and for all?

Capital punishment is still the law in 37 states in the US.  My state - Maine - had the wisdom to abolish capital punishment in 1887. Maine has one of the lowest homicide rates in the US, making the "deterrence"claims of death penalty supporters ridiculous. But the death penalty is still quite popular in the former Slave States of the south.  Of the 1,099 executions that have been performed in the US since the death penalty was reintroduced in 1976,  901 have been carried out the south. Traditionally, this region is also known as the Bible Belt, so the type of "Christianity" practiced in these states conveniently ignores the New Testament.

George W. Bush, as governor of Texas, was personally responsible for over 150 executions - albeit a drop in the bucket compared to the number of dead he is responsible for as president, but enough to secure solid support in the southern states during the 2000 election.

According to the very useful German Web site www.todesstrafe.de the US ranks third, behind China and Iran, for the number of recent executions (hey, we beat out Somalia!). The last execution in the Federal Republic of Germany was carried out in 1949; the last in the former East Germany (GDR) in 1981.  (See my earlier post on the role of Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner on abolishing the death penalty in Germany)

Comments

[Hattie]

I am very proud that Hawaii, also a state with a low homicide rate, has no death penalty.