CALENDAR:      There are no Commission meetings scheduled for July and August. The next public meeting will take place in September.

July 20, 2006
Star Ledger
Death Penalty Foes Call for End to Law, Say Life in Prison is Option

July 19, 2006
Star Ledger
Panel Takes Up Life or Death Debate

July 19, 2006
CourierPost.com
Death Penalty Opponents Release Report

July 14, 2006
Star Ledger
Getting Off Easy in Essex

July 13, 2006
Star Ledger
High Court Hones Rules for Appeals

July 5, 2006
CourierPost.com
NJ Supreme Court Sets Aside Death Sentence

June 21, 2006
The Examiner
Editorial: Reduce Gang Violence, Change Sentencing Laws

July 23, 2006
Sacramento Bee
Op Ed: Slammer Time : Why Rush To Build More Prisons When Other Options Cost Less

July 17, 2006
United Press International
No Race Bias Seen in Death Penalty Demand

July 15, 2006
Associated Press
State Promises Major Reforms for Juveniles

July 11, 2006
Orange County Register
Justice Laments Sentencing Rules

July 10, 2006
Washington Post
It’s a Crime What We Don’t Know About Crime

July 8, 2006
Baltimore Sun
Lethal Injection Lacks Protocols

July 1, 2006
SFGate.com
Analysis: Prisons Unlikely to Topple Governor

June 29, 2006
Inside Bay Area
Drug Policy Reform Activists Suffer State, Federal Defeats

June 27, 2006
New York Times
Prosecutor Questions Drug Law Reforms

June 27, 2006
Los Angeles Times
Schwarzenegger Wants More Prisons Built

June 23, 2006
New York Times
Doctors See Way to Cut Suffering in Executions

June 22, 2006
The Economist
Crime and Punishment: Britain Needs Fewer Prisons, Not More

June 22, 2006
The Economist
The Clang of the Gate

Drug Policy

Painting the Current Picture: A National Report Card on Drug Courts and Other Problem Solving Court Programs in the United States
Bureau of Justice Assistance

Drug Courts: An Effective Strategy for Communities Facing Methamphetamine
Bureau of Justice Assistance

Death Penalty

Race and the Decision to Seek the Death Penalty in Federal Cases
Rand Corporation

Evaluating Fairness and Accuracy in State Death Penalty Systems: The Arizona Death Penalty Assessment Report
American Bar Association

General Sentencing Policy

Recommendations for Federal Criminal Sentencing in a Post-Booker World
Constitution Project’s Sentencing Initiative

New Jersey

State v. Elaine D. Morales-Pena, N.J. Super. (App. Div. 2006)
Docket No. A-5689-04T2
Held: In this appeal, the Appellate Division reversed a trial court’s order enrolling defendant into the Pretrial Intervention Program (PTI) over the prosecutor’s objection in a case where the defendant was charged in an accusation with, among other related motor vehicle violations, fourth- degree assault by auto – leaving the scene of an accident. The trial court ordered defendant’s admission into PTI after his entry of a guilty plea to assault by auto. After initially observing that the PTI appeal should have been resolved in the trial court before the guilty plea was entered, the Appellate Division concluded that the prosecutor’s objection was prudent given that the disposition of motor vehicle charges in municipal court could jeopardize the indictable charges if defendant did not successfully complete the PTI program.