Outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he will commute the sentences of all 548 inmates currently on California death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The decision has drawn fierce backlash from victims’ families and prosecutors, while victims’ rights organizations have vowed to take legal action.
In a public letter addressed to California residents on the 5th, Newsom stated that he is exercising the commutation power granted to the governor by the state constitution.
“The state taking a life is inconsistent with California values and undermines the foundation of our justice system,” he stated. “We cannot uphold justice and human dignity while executing people under a flawed judicial system.”
Once the commutation process is complete, the 548 inmates will avoid execution but will spend the rest of their lives behind bars without parole.
The death penalty itself remains intact, and prosecutors retain the ability to seek the death penalty in future cases. Abolishing the death penalty would require a decision by the state legislature or voters.
Newsom placed a moratorium on executions shortly after taking office in 2019, and executions have been paused in California since 2006. This latest move goes a step further by altering the sentences of all existing death row inmates.
While acknowledging the profound suffering of victims’ families, Newsom pointed out that the death penalty has not been applied fairly and noted that innocent people have been sentenced to death in the past.
Victims’ families and prosecutors immediately and strongly condemned the decision.
“This is a decision that shows extreme cruelty to the lambs while offering mercy to wolves,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, criticizing that California voters have repeatedly chosen to retain the death penalty.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman also stated that he will continue to seek the death penalty as long as the current laws remain in effect.
Steve Hur, whose son Sam Hur was murdered in Costa Mesa in 2010, expressed shock over the announcement. “I am appalled by what Newsom has done,” he said. “He has torn open unhealed wounds and once again trampled on the will of California residents.” Daniel Wozniak, who murdered Sam Hur, is currently serving a death sentence.
“I visit my son’s grave every week,” Hur shared, expressing deep anguish and anger.
Victims’ rights organizations are preparing to take legal action. Anne Marie Schubert, a former prosecutor and head of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, told the California Post that blanket commutations without reviewing individual death row cases are unprecedented and plans to challenge the decision in court.
Controversy also surrounds the fact that California voters chose to maintain the death penalty in the 2012 and 2016 elections. Tony Padilla, president of Crime Victims United, criticized the governor, stating, “One governor’s personal beliefs are overriding the will of the voters,” while also raising political questions regarding the timing of the announcement immediately following the midterm elections.
The commutation list includes notorious criminals such as Richard Allen Davis, who was sentenced to death for the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, and Cary Stayner, who murdered four women near Yosemite National Park in 1999.
Conversely, Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), welcomed the decision, calling it “a historic step toward ending a racist, deeply flawed, and inhumane death penalty system.”
Under the California Constitution, commuting the sentence of an inmate who has been convicted of two felonies requires review by the state Supreme Court. Newsom maintains that this blanket commutation complies with California law.
