California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he will use his clemency authority to commute the state’s 548 current death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The announcement sets out a plan; some cases require approval from the California Supreme Court before clemency can be granted.
Newsom said he opposes executions by the state, writing in an open letter that capital punishment is incompatible with California’s values and weakens the legal system. He described life without parole as the harshest penalty he can impose through clemency.
The proposed commutations would not repeal California’s death penalty or stop prosecutors from seeking it in future cases. Newsom said those decisions would remain with prosecutors, juries and courts. The Associated Press reported that the current death-row population includes 529 men and 19 women.
Some cases require court approval
Under the state constitution, the governor must obtain California Supreme Court approval to grant clemency to people convicted of more than one felony. As a result, the announcement does not mean every sentence changes immediately.
California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, shortly after taking office.
Voters have retained capital punishment in previous statewide votes. They rejected Proposition 34, which would have abolished it, in 2012. In 2016, voters rejected repeal under Proposition 62 while narrowly approving Proposition 66, which sought to speed up death penalty cases.