Newsom spares all 548 California death row prisoners from execution
Governor Newsom is commuting 548 death sentences to life without parole before he leaves office.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is commuting all 548 death sentences to life without parole. Newsom placed a moratorium on executions in 2019, but hundreds still faced death sentences.
The decision comes as he prepares to leave office after eight years. Newsom said he believes the state should not kill its citizens.
The 548 people include 529 men and 19 women. California has more death row inmates than any other US state, so this action removes about a quarter of all US death sentences.
The California Supreme Court must approve roughly 70 per cent when someone was convicted of more than one crime.
- 548 death sentences
- Total commuted
- 529 men, 19 women
- Gender breakdown
- 382 commutations, roughly 70 percent
- Court approval needed
- 2019
- Moratorium start
Why it mattersThe decision reflects a major shift in US capital punishment, removing hundreds of executions and signalling a state-level rejection of state-sanctioned killing.
AustraliaNo direct effect on Australian law or policy. It shows how a major US state is moving away from capital punishment, a practice Australia abolished in 1973.
Corroborated bybbc.com
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
