A group of current and former prosecutors has endorsed a moratorium on executions in California, the Los Angeles Times reports. The group spoke on the eve of the first hearing on a bill that would put executions on hold for two years while the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice examines wrongful convictions. “The execution of an innocent person is unacceptable, and it is imperative that California takes every precaution that it never happens,” the letter states. Some signatories oppose the death penalty, and some favor it but have developed concerns in recent years because of revelations that individuals slated for execution were wrongfully convicted.
In New Jersey yesterday, lawmakers approved a suspension of executions, becoming the first state legislature in the country to do so since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-death10jan10,1,4830052.story?coll=la-headlines-california