by KYW's Ed Kasuba

The speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, Joe Roberts of Camden County, says he plans to schedule a December 13th vote on a bill abolishing the death penalty in that state.

Instead of the death penalty, those convicted of murder would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The bill was approved by a state senate committee back in May (see related story), and its sponsor -- Ray Lesniak of Union County -- says the bill is based on a January report by a special legislative study commission (see related story):

"That report confirmed the death penalty actually cost more than life in prison without parole, that there is a very real risk of executing an innocent person, and that it cannot be proven to deter crime.”

New Jersey imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2005 pending the report by the study commission. The state reinstituted the death penalty 25 years ago but no has been executed since then.

(File photo: KYW's John Ostapkovich)