Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is commuting the death sentences for all 548 inmates on death row in California, he announced Thursday.
Newsom’s clemency act comes in the final months of his position as governor, before Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra (D-CA) takes over the helm of the state. The outgoing governor said the list of 548 people on death row comprises “the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.”
“Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as Governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them,” Newsom wrote. “I do, however, pray that this action will finally separate the memories of the victims of these crimes from the fate of those who harmed them. We can now let these offenders die in obscurity while we forever remember and honor their victims.”
Newsom announced the decision in an open letter on Thursday. He added that the clemency action does not repeal the death penalty and only commutes the current death sentences hanging over the state. The authority to repeal the death penalty in the state rests with the state legislature.
However, the state has not carried out an execution in over two decades, since Jan. 17, 2006, when the state carried out the capital punishment against Clarence Ray Allen, who was found guilty on counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy.
“I also acknowledge that this clemency action will anger and hurt some Californians,” Newsom wrote. “This will always weigh heavily on me. As governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution. For this reason, I am compelled to follow my conscience and, as authorized by our Constitution, take this action for the welfare of the State of California.”
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California currently has a moratorium on death penalties, which was authorized by Newsom. Becerra said he would extend Newsom’s moratorium. The Golden State is one of four states with pauses on capital punishment, alongside Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.
There are 27 states across the country where the death penalty is legal.