California Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without parole

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he’ll change all death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

There are 548 people on death row in California.

Newsom’s decision comes as he prepares to leave office after eight years. In 2019, he placed a moratorium on executions in the state but hundreds of people remained on death row.

“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 said in a letter.

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