after extensive public hearings...

after extensive public hearings, the New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission issued a report calling for an end to the state's death penalty and replacing it with a sentence of life without parole. The 13-member Commission was appointed by the state legislature, which also placed a moratorium on all executions until a report was prepared. Their report cited the risks of executing the innocent, the high costs of the death penalty, and society's evolving standards of decency in calling for the abolition of capital punishment. The County Prosecutors' Association of New Jersey concurred with the final recommendations of the Commission Report.
New Jersey has not had an execution since 1963. There are nine people on death row.