Newsom Commutes 548 Death Sentences to Life Without Parole

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is granting clemency to 548 individuals currently sentenced to death, changing their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The move applies to 529 men and 19 women on the state’s death row, according to figures released by his office.

The state constitution mandates that the California Supreme Court must approve clemency for anyone convicted of a felony more than once. Consequently, the court must review and approve 382 of the commutations, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of the total group. The governor stated that he is taking this action because he believes state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values and undermines the legal system.

Newsom, a Democrat who is preparing to leave office after eight years, first placed a moratorium on executions in 2019. No one has been executed in California since 2006, leaving the state with the largest death row population in the Western Hemisphere. In a letter accompanying the announcement, he wrote that he alone bears responsibility for the decision and its impact on victims’ families.

Victims’ families have reacted with mixed emotions. Jess Nichol, sister of Polly Klaas, who was kidnapped and murdered in 1993, said she previously believed Richard Allen Davis deserved the death penalty but that her views have evolved. “The system tells survivors that execution matters to our healing,” Nichol said. “It doesn’t. It’s a distraction from what we actually need.”

Patricia Wenskunas, founder of the nonprofit Crime Survivors, criticized the decision as offensive and outrageous. She expressed deep concern for the families of the victims, noting that the action inflicts additional anguish. The California District Attorneys Association also voiced grave concerns in a letter sent to the governor last month, arguing that erasing jury judgments without considering individual case facts is a disservice to justice.

The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the announcement, calling it an end to a punishment they described as racist and inhumane. Executive Director Anthony Romero stated that the commutations reflect what justice demands. The organization is currently involved in a legal challenge alleging that California’s death penalty statute is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Other state leaders have taken similar steps. Oregon Governor Kate Brown commuted all death sentences in 2022, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis did the same in 2020. President Joe Biden granted clemency to 37 of 40 federal death row prisoners in 2024.

Xavier Becerra, the Democrat who will succeed Newsom as governor in January, has said he will extend the state’s current moratorium on the death penalty.