Newsom Ends California Death Penalty by Swapping 548 Sentences for Life Terms
The governor changed every remaining death sentence in the state to life without parole, citing the state's inability to morally execute prisoners.
By Anthony Foster ·
Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted the death sentences of all 548 inmates on California's death row on Thursday. The action changes each of their sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This decision applies to every condemned prisoner in the state, effectively ending the use of capital punishment in California.
Newsom stated that the move concludes capital cases that have remained in the courts for decades. Some of these legal proceedings have lasted more than 40 years. The governor described life without parole as the most severe punishment the state can ethically enforce. He noted that while finality may bring comfort to some victims, it does not equate to closure.
The commutation follows a moratorium on executions that Newsom implemented in 2019. He shared his consideration of this blanket move on his podcast last month. Newsom referenced the botched execution of Tennessee inmate Christa Pike, who survived two lethal injections. He said he had to prepare for his own consciousness test before leaving office in January when Xavier Becerra takes over.
Death penalty advocates reacted with strong opposition to the decision. Topo Padilla of Crime Victims United said the group is disgusted that a governor is overturning penalties determined by judges and juries. Padilla suggested the move is driven by political ambition. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe also used the word disgust to describe his reaction. Wagstaffe argued that California voters rejected a repeal of the death penalty in 2016, making the unilateral commutation inconsistent with democracy.
The American Civil Liberties Union praised the action on Thursday. Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, said the commutations end a system that conflicts with human dignity and fairness. He described the death penalty as racist, error-prone, and inhumane. Democratic strategist Dan Newman, who advises the governor, noted that Newsom has opposed the death penalty for years. Newman emphasized that life without parole requires prisoners to die in prison without the spectacle of an execution date.
The last person executed in California was Clarence Ray Allen. He died by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison on Jan. 17, 2006. Allen had been convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in 1982. The California Department of Corrections reports that 50 of the commuted inmates were tried in Bay Area counties. Among them are Richard Farley, convicted in a 1988 Sunnyvale mass shooting, and Cary Stayner, the Yosemite serial killer.
