New Jersey abolishes the death penalty

From Human Rights Watch:

The New Jersey General Assembly today passed legislation abolishing capital punishment and replacing it with life imprisonment. Governor Jon Corzine has said he will sign the legislation, making New Jersey the first US state in more than 40 years to legislatively abolish the death penalty.

David Fathi, director of the US program at Human Rights Watch, is available for comment.

“This is an historic day,” said Fathi. “The elected representatives of a US state have definitively rejected the death penalty. We urge other states to follow New Jersey’s example and abolish this cruel and archaic punishment.”