In brief

• Outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom will convert all 548 death sentences into life terms without parole.
• The 382 cases with multiple serious convictions need approval from the California Supreme Court.
• California has not carried out an execution since 2006, so the move is largely symbolic.

Commutation announced

Governor Gavin Newsom said he would commute the sentences of the 548 people currently on death row in California to life in prison without the possibility of early release (Kalifornien wandelt Todesstrafen in lebenslange Haftstrafen um – tagesschau.de). In an open letter addressed to residents of the state, he wrote that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values (USA - Kaliforniens Gouverneur Newsom will fast 550 Todesurteile in lebenslange Haftstrafen umwandeln – Deutschlandfunk). He described the decision as one of the hardest of his career and said the crimes committed by those condemned had caused lasting suffering for victims, their families and communities (Губернатор Калифорнии заявил, что смягчит все смертные приговоры, потому что они «несовместимы с ценностями» штата – Meduza).

Who is affected

The governor's office said the group includes 529 men and 19 women. For 382 of the inmates, who have more than one conviction for serious crimes, the commutation requires approval from the California Supreme Court.

Background

California has the largest death row population in the United States, but it has not executed anyone in about 20 years. The last execution took place on January 17, 2006. In 2019, Newsom, a long-time opponent of capital punishment, imposed a moratorium on carrying out death sentences. Civil rights groups, including Amnesty International, had urged him to act before he leaves office in early January.

Reaction and timing

The decision comes as Newsom prepares to leave office after eight years. The New York Times described it as the largest group commutation of death sentences in the history of modern United States (Gubernator oszczędził życie 548 skazanym na śmierć. Bezprecedensowa decyzja w Kalifornii – Rzeczpospolita). The announcement follows a botched execution attempt in Tennessee in late September, in which a condemned woman survived two attempts to kill her by lethal injection, intensifying the national debate over capital punishment. More than 20 states have abolished the death penalty entirely.