New Jersey is ONE DAY away from a vote on a bill calling for a moratorium on executions and a study in the state Senate! If it passes, the Assembly is expected to take up the bill shortly thereafter and the acting Governor has said that he will sign it. This would make New Jersey the first state to legislatively impose a moratorium on executions! New Jerseyans for Alternatives to Capital Punishment has done an incredible amount of work on the issue and we can help them out so if you know anyone in the Garden State tell them to call their Senator ASAP and ask them to vote for the moratorium.

The issues in New Jersey aren't much different from those in Tennessee and everywhere else around the country. A recent study found that New Jersey has spent $253 million on its death penalty system, above and beyond the costs of life without parole, and hasn't executed a single person. And New Jersey only has 10 men on its death row. In, Tennessee, where we have 103 people on death row, we have probably spent nearly $1,000,000,000 above and beyond the cost of incarcerating murderers for life. All NJ is saying is think about all the good that could have been done with that money; programs for victims families, social programs proven to effectively reduce crime, raising police salaries and hiring more officers. There are better ways. So please, everyone send good vibes (and phone calls, emails, and letters) to New Jersey over the next couple of days. Today New Jersey, tomorrow Tennessee, next week the country.