Newsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday in an open letter that he will change all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Death Penalty Information Center says it would be the largest mass clemency in U.S. history, cutting the national death row population by nearly 30%. Under the state constitution, the California Supreme Court must approve clemency for people convicted of more than one felony, which applies to about two-thirds of the cases. California has not carried out an execution since 2006.
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Why it matters
The 548 people on California's death row would serve life without parole instead. About two-thirds of the cases need California Supreme Court approval before the commutations become final, and prosecutors say the death penalty law itself stays on the books.
How each side sees it
Sources
- AP via PBS NewsHour: Newsom says he will commute all 548 death sentences
- Al Jazeera: California governor commutes sentences of more than 500 on death row
- ABC10 via Yahoo News: Prosecutors, victim groups criticize Newsom's commutations
- Fox News: Newsom commutes death sentences of 548 inmates
- CBS Sacramento: Death row sentences to be commuted, Newsom says
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