Newsom Commutes Death Sentences of All 548 California Death Row Inmates

California Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of every one of the 548 people on the state’s death row. In a letter to Californians on Thursday, Newsom said the sentences would become life in prison without the possibility of parole. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, it is the biggest mass clemency ever granted in the US, CalMatters reported.

The move effectively clears the biggest death row in the United States. The 548 prisoners make up more than a quarter of all condemned inmates in the country, according to CalMatters.

Why Newsom changed the death sentences now

Newsom, a Democrat, has long opposed capital punishment. In 2019, shortly after taking office, he ordered a moratorium on executions. He also dismantled the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison.

In his letter, he explained his reasons in personal terms. He argued that “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values” and weakens the legal system.

He also called the state’s death penalty system “a failure”. In his view, the state has not applied it fairly, and it has led to the conviction of innocent people. He also said the state could now let these offenders “die in obscurity” while honouring their victims, the BBC reported.

Newsom is term-limited and will leave office early next year. Fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra is projected to succeed him after Tuesday’s midterm elections. Becerra has committed to keeping the moratorium in place, CalMatters reported.

Court approval still needed

The decision is not yet final for every prisoner. For those convicted of more than one felony, nearly 400 people, the commutations need approval from the California Supreme Court. At least four of its seven judges must sign off, according to CalMatters.

Moreover, Newsom said the affected prisoners would not qualify for new parole commutation and resentencing rules. That point answers a key fear of prosecutors and victims’ groups. They had worried that some inmates might one day win release. “These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand,” Newsom wrote.

In practice, the change is largely symbolic. California has not executed anyone since 2006. The state has executed only 13 inmates since voters restored the death penalty in 1978, the BBC reported. Still, experts say the move could save millions of dollars a year in court costs.

Strong reactions on both sides

Victims’ groups reacted with anger. Anne Marie Schubert, a former prosecutor who now leads the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, said her group would challenge the commutations in the state Supreme Court. She told CalMatters that officials did not notify victims’ families.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman also objected. He said only the legislature or voters can abolish the death penalty. He noted that Californians have twice voted to retain it for the worst crimes.

By contrast, the American Civil Liberties Union welcomed the decision. Its executive director, Anthony Romero, called the death penalty “a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment”. Newsom himself acknowledged that the move would hurt some families. He said it would “always weigh heavily” on him.

Notorious cases affected

The commutations cover some of California’s most infamous killers. They include Richard Allen Davis, who murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993, and Scott Peterson, convicted of murdering his wife Laci. Charles Ng, convicted of killing 11 people in the 1980s, is also on the list, CalMatters said.

Polly Klaas’s father, Marc Klaas, said earlier that the plan “upsets me terribly”. However, her sister, Jess Nichol, took a different view. She said execution would not help her recovery or public safety.

A national debate

The decision lands amid a wider argument over capital punishment in the United States. Executions have been rising nationally. President Donald Trump supports the death penalty and reinstated it at federal level on the first day of his second term.

Many observers also see Newsom as a possible 2028 presidential candidate. As a result, critics and supporters alike will watch how voters respond. The next step lies with California’s Supreme Court, where legal challenges are expected.