On Thursday, New Jersey legislators voted to outlaw the death penalty after a state commission concluded that it does not prevent crime and could lead to the execution of innocent people. Gov. Jon Corzine signed the bill into law on Monday, making New Jersey the first state in 40 years to ban capital punishment.

If the New Jersey study is accurate and the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime, and considering the number of prisoners cleared of crimes by DNA evidence, should capital punishment be abolished nationwide?

Please send your responses to Ed Brock at edward.brock@penton.com. Include your name, title and the organization with which you work. American City & County will print some of the responses.

Visit American City and County's Web Platform to see how readers responded to the November Platform question: Did the proposed expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program go too far?