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California governor commutes sentences of more than 500 people on death row
Al Jazeera • • general
Key Points:
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the commutation of sentences for all 548 death row inmates in the state, converting their sentences to life without parole, marking the largest mass clemency in U.S. history.
- Newsom cited moral and legal concerns, stating that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values and undermines the justice system.
- Despite declining executions in California over the past 20 years, the state has spent $6 billion on the death penalty since 1978, with only 13 executions carried out, highlighting the high costs and inefficiencies of capital punishment.
- The decision has been praised by criminal justice advocates as a significant step away from an outdated and problematic practice, though about two-thirds of the commutations require California Supreme Court review before becoming final.
- Newsom’s action reduces the national death row population by nearly 30% and comes amid a broader political context of Democratic gains in recent elections and speculation about his potential future presidential ambitions.
