Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will commute all California death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole, saying the state cannot fairly administer capital punishment.

In an open letter to Californians, Newsom said 548 people are under death sentences in California, which he described as the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.

The governor said his decision applies to every current death sentence but does not repeal California’s death penalty or eliminate the ability of prosecutors to seek it in future cases.

“I have decided to exercise my constitutional clemency authority to commute all California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole,” Newsom wrote.

Newsom said the decision reflects his long-standing opposition to executions and his belief that capital punishment conflicts with California’s values. He argued that the system cannot be applied fairly, has resulted in innocent people being convicted, and has resisted decades of efforts to repair it.

Decision Follows Execution Moratorium

Newsom instituted a moratorium on executions on March 13, 2019, shortly after taking office. In the letter, he said that action formalized a de facto moratorium dating to 2006, the last year California executed anyone.

Although the moratorium prevented further executions, it left existing death sentences in place.

Newsom said he considered distinguishing among capital crimes and the people who committed them before deciding to extend the same commutation to everyone sentenced to death.

He argued that making such distinctions would create separate classes of murder victims based on whether their killers were considered deserving of execution. Instead, he said, everyone covered by the decision would receive life without parole.

Newsom Acknowledges Pain for Victims’ Families

The governor acknowledged that people sentenced to death caused suffering that continues to affect victims’ families and communities across generations.

He described the decision as among the most difficult of his career because the announcement could revive painful memories for victims’ families. He also acknowledged that some families would strongly disagree.

Newsom said he consulted crime victims and survivors, public safety experts, religious and civil rights leaders, prison wardens, and jurors who served in capital cases. Those people did not share a single view, he wrote.

The governor said some affected capital cases have remained in the courts for more than 40 years. Although he argued that commutations would bring finality to those cases, he acknowledged that finality would not necessarily provide closure for victims’ families.

He also said reducing the financial costs of California’s death penalty system was not his reason for acting.

Death Penalty Remains in State Law

Newsom acknowledged that California voters have voted to retain capital punishment and said his clemency decision is limited to current death sentences.

The authority to repeal the death penalty rests with lawmakers and voters, he wrote, while prosecutors, juries, and courts retain their roles in seeking, imposing, and upholding death sentences.

Newsom also acknowledged that California’s Constitution requires state Supreme Court review of clemency grants for people twice convicted of a felony. His decision therefore requires the justices’ involvement, he said.

The governor expressed confidence that his decision is consistent with California law while recognizing that members of the court may personally disagree with it.

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