California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on the state’s death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in a historic move that would effectively clear the state’s death row.
The decision, announced on Thursday, November 5, 2026, marks one of the largest mass clemency actions in American history and represents a major shift in California’s approach to capital punishment.
According to figures provided by Newsom’s office, the affected inmates comprise 529 men and 19 women.
In a letter addressed to Californians explaining his decision, Newsom said he believed capital punishment was incompatible with the state’s values and undermined the justice system.
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom stated.
He added that the decision was among the most difficult of his political career, acknowledging that it could reopen painful memories for families of victims.
The commutations will reduce the inmates’ sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, meaning they will remain behind bars rather than face execution.
However, the process requires additional legal approval for some of the prisoners. Under California’s constitution, the governor cannot independently grant clemency to individuals with multiple felony convictions without approval from the California Supreme Court.
Consequently, 382 of the 548 commutations will require the court’s approval before they can be finalised, according to figures from the governor’s office.
Newsom has been a long-standing opponent of the death penalty. In 2019, shortly after assuming office, he imposed a moratorium on executions, halting the carrying out of death sentences in the state.
California last executed a prisoner in January 2006, although capital punishment remained legal and courts continued handling death penalty cases.
The governor has previously criticised the system, citing racial discrimination, wrongful convictions, lengthy legal proceedings and the substantial financial costs associated with maintaining death row.
The decision, however, has attracted criticism from supporters of capital punishment and victims’ rights advocates, who argue that commuting the sentences undermines the decisions of juries and the suffering of victims’ families.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer strongly condemned the move, describing it as an injustice to families whose loved ones were murdered.
In a statement, Spitzer said: “The pursuit of justice does not bend to political whims, and I am heartbroken for the hundreds of families who must now grapple with the devastation of knowing that the monsters who harmed their loved ones are one step closer to being back out on our streets.”
He further argued that the death sentences had been imposed by juries after considering evidence presented in court.
Meanwhile, civil rights advocates welcomed the announcement, maintaining that capital punishment has been unfairly applied and carries the risk of executing innocent people.
The move comes as Newsom approaches the end of his second and final term as California governor, with his tenure scheduled to end in January 2027.
Despite the sweeping commutations, the decision does not formally abolish the death penalty in California, meaning future administrations could still pursue capital punishment under existing state law.
