California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan to commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The changes are not yet final for hundreds of inmates: about 60% of the cases require approval from the California Supreme Court, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Newsom said in a letter that he was exercising his constitutional clemency authority. He called the death penalty incompatible with California’s values and said the state’s system had failed to ensure fair outcomes, including resulting in the conviction of innocent people.
“Life without the possibility of parole is the most severe punishment I can lawfully impose and that the state can ethically enforce,” Newsom wrote. He also acknowledged that his decision would anger and hurt some Californians.
Commutations would not mean release
If the plan is completed, those affected would remain in prison for life without the possibility of parole. The announcement does not mean the inmates are being released, and the court review means the commutations have not all taken legal effect.
California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Newsom ordered a halt to executions in 2019, a moratorium that paused executions but did not erase death sentences. The Associated Press also reported that the governor’s announcement covers all 548 people currently on the state’s death row.
Newsom described the move as a difficult but necessary decision and said he believed the state could not morally carry out executions. California has historically had the country’s largest death row population.