NEW YORK, NY December 10, 2007 —NJ's Democratic-led state senate voted today, 21-to-16, to abolish capital punishment, persuaded by a special commission's report last January that capital punishment was more costly than life in prison without parole, and did little to deter murder. The measure goes to the Assembly for a vote on Thursday.

Patrick Murray watched today's Senate proceedings, and spoke with WNYC All Things Considered host Amy Eddings. Murray is director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, and he's tracked the public's thinking on capital punishment for 12 years.