California’s death row faced a historic shake-up after Gavin Newsom commuted every remaining death sentence. The outgoing governor’s decision covered 548 inmates and replaced their executions with life sentences without parole.
Newsom’s move marked a major change in California’s approach to capital punishment. However, the state’s death penalty remained legal, and the commutations required further review in many cases.
Gavin Newsom ends death sentences for 548 inmates
In an open letter published November 5, Newsom explained his decision. He argued that capital punishment conflicted with California’s “core values” of justice and human decency. “After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish,” he wrote. He added, “I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values.”
According to PEOPLE, the commutations covered all 548 people on death row. About 60% of those decisions required California Supreme Court approval. State law required the court to review clemency for prisoners convicted of felonies before their death sentences.
Newsom also pointed to California’s long pause on executions. The state last carried one out in 2006, while he formalized the moratorium in 2019. His letter said the state’s death row remained the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
The decision affected notorious cases, including Richard Allen Davis, convicted of kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1996. Her killing helped inspire California’s three-strikes law. Charles Manson and Scott Peterson also received death sentences before courts reduced them to life without parole. Richard Ramirez and Rodney Alcala died in prison while awaiting execution.
Newsom acknowledged victims’ families might disagree with his decision. Still, he argued life without parole would “let these offenders die in obscurity while we forever remember and honor their victims.”
He also stressed that the commutations did not repeal California’s death penalty. Voters had retained it, and prosecutors could still seek death sentences. The governor said the Legislature and voters held the power to change that law.
Newsom’s term ended in January, when fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra was set to replace him after defeating Republican Steve Hilton. His decision followed President Joe Biden’s 2024 commutation of most federal death sentences. Meanwhile, three executions remained scheduled elsewhere in the country on November 5.
