Photo: DAVID SWANSON / AFP / Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has begun the process of commuting the death sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, The Washington Post reported.
If completed, the move would empty the nation's largest death row, affecting more than a quarter of the country's death-sentenced population.
However, the commutations will not be automatic for everyone. Approximately 70% of the inmates have multiple felony convictions and will need approval from at least four of the California Supreme Court's seven justices before their sentences can be changed.
Newsom defended his decision in an open letter to Californians, arguing that he believes capital punishment is incompatible with California's values and undermines the justice system.
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote.
He also acknowledged that his decision could reopen painful memories for victims' families, writing that the announcement “may surface excruciating memories for victims’ families.”
California voters previously rejected a ballot measure to repeal the death penalty in 2016, but Newsom argued that the state Constitution gives the authority to grant clemency.
“California voters have voted to keep the death penalty on the books and I respect that,” he wrote. “But the Constitution also gave every governor clemency authority, and that power exists for moments when law as applied cannot be squared with justice. For me, this is that moment.”
The Washington Post reported that California has not executed anyone since 2006. Newsom previously imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, dismantled the state's death chamber, and repealed its lethal injection protocol.
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