Assembly Resolution No. 144
State of New Jersey
Introduced October 14, 1993

By Assemblyman SOLOMON

AN ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION respectfully petitioning the President of the United States to commute Jonathan Jay Pollard's prison sentence to time served on humanitarian grounds.

WHEREAS, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, was arrested and charged with spying on behalf of Israel in November, 1985; and

WHEREAS, In May, 1986, Pollard, as part of a plea bargaining agreement with the federal government, pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Deliver National Defense Information to a Foreign Government; and

WHEREAS, Under the conditions of that plea bargain, the government, in return for Pollard's cooperation and the opportunity to avoid a potentially awkward trial which could have damaged certain international relationships, agreed that it would not seek a life sentence; and

WHEREAS, Despite those assurances, Pollard was sentenced to life in prison; and

WHEREAS, The imposition of the life sentence appears grossly disproportionate to the punishments meted out in comparable cases; and

WHEREAS, In the past three decades, life sentences have been imposed only in those instances where an individual has been convicted of spying for or on behalf of a country which recognized as an enemy of, or a military threat to, the United States; and

WHEREAS, In cases such as Pollard's, those which involve the passing of intelligence information to allied countries sor nations posing no direct threat to the United States, the courts have imposed limited terms of imprisonment; and

WHEREAS, The crime of espionage against the United States is totally contemptible and abhorrent, warrants nothing but public condemnation, and merits swift and just punishment; and

WHEREAS, While Jonathan Jay Pollard's admitted espionage activities cannot be condoned, it is important to consider whether his sentence is just, fair and proportionate to his crime; and

WHEREAS, After review and consideration, it would appear that Jonathan Jay Pollard's punishment, when compared to that imposed in similar cases, is disproportionately harsh, that his eight years in the federal prison in Marion, Illinois is sufficient punishment for his crime, and, furthermore, that on humanitarian grounds, his sentence should be commuted; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

  1. That this House respectfully petitions the President of the United States to commute Jonathan Jay Pollard's life sentence to time served on humanitarian grounds; and

  2. That a duly authenticated copy of this resolution, signed by the Speaker and attested by the Clerk, be transmitted to the President of the United States and each member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.

STATEMENT

This resolution calls for the General Assembly to petition the President of the United States to commute Jonathan Jay Pollard's life sentence to time served on humanitarian grounds.

Pollard was a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy who passed classified information concerning the weapons systems and warmaking capacities of certain Arab nations to Israel. As part of a plea bargaining agreement with the federal government, Pollard pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Deliver National Defense information to a Foreign Government and, in return for hi cooperation, the government promised not to seek a life sentence.

Despite those agreements, Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment.

A life sentence appears grossly disproportionate to the punishments meted out in comparable cases. In recent history, life sentences have been imposed only in those instances where an individual has been convicted of spying for a country which is recognized as an enemy of the United States.

In cases such as Pollard's, those which involve the passing of intelligence information to allied or friendly countries, the courts have imposed limited terms of imprisonment.

The crime of espionage against the United States is totally contemptible and warrants nothing but public condemnation and swift and just punishment. While Pollard's admitted espionage activities cannot e condoned, it is important to consider whether his sentence is just, fair and proportionate to his crime.

After review and consideration, it would appear that Pollard's punishment, when compared to that imposed in similar cases, is disproportionately harsh, that his eight years in the federal prison in Marion, Illinois is sufficient punishment, and that, on humanitarian grounds, his sentence should be commuted.


Memoralizes President to commute sentence of Jonathan Jay Pollard.
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