Newsom Plans to Commute All 548 California Death Sentences to Life Without Parole
California's governor announced plans to replace every current death sentence with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The move would not repeal the state's death penalty law.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he plans to commute the sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
In an open letter released by his office, Newsom said he would issue the commutations after nearly three decades of publicly opposing state-authorized executions. The plan would change the punishment for people already sentenced to death. It would not release them from prison or make them eligible for parole.
California's death penalty law would remain in place. Cases involving people with more than one felony conviction require review by the California Supreme Court before the governor can grant a commutation.
The announcement follows the moratorium on executions Newsom imposed in 2019. California last carried out an execution in January 2006.