California plans to commute all death sentences to life without parole
Governor Gavin Newsom wants to change the sentences of 548 prisoners with no possibility of release.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he wants to commute all 548 death sentences in the state to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Under the plan, the prisoners concerned would receive that sentence.
Newsom announced the decision on Thursday and notified the California Supreme Court. According to figures from his office, this concerns 529 men and 19 women. The announced plan involves changing the sentence.
California has executed no one since 2006. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, but this did not abolish the death penalty in law. Prosecutors in the state can still seek the death penalty and judges can impose it.
The governor says that, as the state’s leader, he is responsible for the consequences of the decision. Death-penalty supporters and some victims’ families’ organisations oppose a blanket commutation. They argue that individual cases should be assessed separately and that victims’ interests must not be overlooked.
Supporters of Newsom’s decision point out that an execution is irreversible and that mistakes have been made in the American justice system. They also cite the unequal application of the death penalty, in which race, income and where a case is tried can influence the outcome.
The plan for California concerns the current death sentences. If they are commuted, the prisoners concerned will receive life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The announcement is therefore both a human-rights and a legal policy choice. The precise procedure and formal decisions for each prisoner still have to be worked out; Newsom announced the policy change on Thursday but has not yet published a complete overview of all the individual case files.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Newsom has announced that he wants to commute all 548 death sentences in California to life imprisonment without parole.
- California has carried out no execution since 2006.
- The death penalty remains legally in place in the state.
Left
Arguments A state should not carry out an irreversible punishment as long as judicial errors and unequal application have not been ruled out.
Values Human rights, equal treatment and restraint in the use of state violence.
Consequences The measure prevents executions, but leaves life imprisonment and the consequences for victims’ families in place.
Centre
Arguments Individual reassessment and clear legal proceedings are more important than a principled choice for or against the death penalty.
Values Legal certainty, institutional diligence and victims’ interests.
Consequences A blanket commutation can provide clarity quickly, but raises questions about how individual cases are handled.
Right
Arguments For exceptionally serious crimes, the state should be able to impose the harshest punishment, and victims’ voices should carry significant weight.
Values Retribution, public order and responsibility towards victims’ families.
Consequences The commutation may be seen as weakening the punishment and could undermine confidence in the criminal justice system.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core facts have been confirmed by AP and the Los Angeles Times. The status of the formal individual commutations has been described cautiously.
- confirmed Newsom wants to commute California’s 548 death sentences to life imprisonment without parole. — AP News and the Los Angeles Times report this decision. source
- confirmed The prisoners comprise 529 men and 19 women. — These figures appear in AP’s reporting, based on figures from Newsom’s office. source
- confirmed California has executed no one since 2006. — The Los Angeles Times identifies 2006 as the year of the last execution. source
- confirmed Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019. — The governor’s official website describes the decision taken in 2019. source
Editor's note
The announced commutation of 548 death sentences and the existing suspension of executions are certain. The individual formal decisions and procedure have not yet been published in full.Sources
- California Gov. Newsom says he will commute all death sentences in state to life without parole — AP News
- Newsom moves to commute California death sentences to life in prison — Los Angeles Times
- Clemency — Governor of California
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „californië doodstraf”
- de Volkskrant — „californië doodstraf”
- RTL Nieuws — „californië doodstraf”