California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday, 5 November 2026, that he is commuting every death sentence in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The decision affects 548 people — 529 men and 19 women, according to the governor's office — and would empty the largest death row in the United States.
Newsom announced the move in an open letter to Californians, calling it among the most difficult decisions of his career because of the painful memories it will surface for victims' families. He said the state's death penalty is unjust, error-prone and incompatible with California's values. The commutation does not repeal capital punishment in the state, and prosecutors will still be able to seek death sentences in new cases.
Announced 5 November 2026. This article was published on 6 November 2026 (PKT) and will be updated as the California Supreme Court reviews the commutations.
What the commutation does
Under the governor's order, all 548 people currently sentenced to death in California will instead serve life in prison without parole. They will not be eligible for release. Newsom, who imposed a moratorium on executions shortly after taking office in 2019, said the action reflects nearly three decades of opposition to state-sanctioned executions.
"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."
— Governor Gavin Newsom, in an open letter to Californians
Newsom wrote that he had come to understand "the limits of what government can justly accomplish" after nearly 30 years in public office. "I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency," he wrote.
| What changes | What does not change |
|---|---|
| All 548 current death sentences become life without parole | The death penalty remains on the books in California |
| No one on California's death row can be executed | Prosecutors can still seek death sentences in new cases |
| Commutations take effect immediately for about a third of the 548 | 382 cases still need California Supreme Court approval |
| California would no longer hold the largest death row in the US | Prisoners remain in custody for life; none is released |
The court hurdle: 382 cases still need approval
The commutation will not be automatic for everyone. California's constitution requires the state Supreme Court to review clemency for anyone convicted of a felony more than once, which means the court must approve 382 of the commutations — roughly 70 per cent of them, according to the governor's office. Four of the court's seven justices must sign off in those cases, according to CalMatters.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the grants take effect immediately for about a third of the people on death row, while the other two-thirds await court review. No timeline for that review has been announced. If the court approves all of them, the move would cut the number of people sentenced to death nationwide by nearly a third and would be the largest mass commutation of death sentences in US history, according to the Marshall Project.
Context: California has the largest death row in the United States — and, according to the Associated Press, the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The state has not executed anyone since 17 January 2006, when Clarence Ray Allen, 76, was put to death by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison. California has carried out just 13 executions since voters reinstated the current death-penalty law in 1978.
Why Newsom acted now
Newsom is preparing to leave office after eight years as governor, and he is considering a run for president in 2028. His successor, Xavier Becerra, has said he will extend the state's moratorium on executions.
The governor has long argued that capital punishment in practice has discriminated against people who are mentally ill, Black or Latino, or unable to afford expensive legal representation. In his 2019 moratorium order he wrote that the system "has been, by all measures, a failure", had provided no public safety benefit or deterrent value, and had wasted billions of taxpayer dollars. As of April 2026, 68 per cent of the people under a death sentence in California were defendants of colour, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Only five people received death sentences in the state in 2025, down from 42 in 1999.
"As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution."
— Governor Gavin Newsom
Reaction: praise from supporters, anger from victims' families and prosecutors
The American Civil Liberties Union praised the decision as "a historic step towards ending the death penalty in California and across the country". Its executive director, Anthony D. Romero, said the commutations "reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long".
Some victims' families supported the move. Jess Nichol, whose sister Polly Klaas was kidnapped and murdered in 1993, said she once believed the killer deserved execution but had changed her mind. "The system tells survivors that execution matters to our healing," she said in a statement. "It doesn't. It's a distraction from what we actually need."
Other families and prosecutors reacted with anger. Patricia Wenskunas, founder of the victims' advocacy group Crime Survivors, called the decision "offensive" and "outrageous". Steve Herr, whose son was murdered by Daniel Wozniak in 2010, said he was "absolutely disgusted" and called the governor a "coward". The California District Attorneys Association said the decision showed "a profound disregard for the decisions of juries and judges, the rights of crime victims and the repeatedly expressed will of California voters".
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the commutation "mercy for the wolves" and "the ultimate act of cruelty on the sheep". Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that Californians had voted twice to keep the death penalty and said his office would continue to evaluate death-penalty cases "with the rigor, care and restraint these decisions demand". Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton, who supported the move, said it would "save California taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the long term".
California and the death penalty
California voters have twice upheld capital punishment — rejecting abolition in 2012 and again in 2016, when they instead approved Proposition 66, a measure intended to speed up executions. Newsom's moratorium in 2019 halted executions anyway, and no one has been put to death in the state since 2006.
The 548 people on death row include some of the state's most notorious convicted killers: Randy Kraft, known as the "Scorecard Killer", convicted of 16 murders; Richard Allen Davis, convicted of kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993; and Charles Ng, convicted of killing 11 people in California in the 1980s.
Newsom is not the first governor to use clemency this broadly. Oregon Governor Kate Brown commuted all death sentences in her state in 2022, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis did the same in 2020. In 2024, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
What is not yet settled: the commutation is not final for the 382 prisoners whose cases require California Supreme Court approval. If the court declines some of those grants, those death sentences would stand. The governor's office has not announced a timeline for the court's review.
A national contrast
Newsom's announcement came on the same day that three executions were carried out elsewhere in the United States — in Alabama, Indiana and Florida. It was the second time this year that three executions have taken place on a single day. Since January 2025, 11 states have put 79 people to death, more than in any other two-year period in well over a decade, according to USA Today.
The announcement also followed the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee in late September, which drew fresh scrutiny to capital punishment after she survived two doses of pentobarbital. Tennessee has since paused its remaining executions.
Frequently asked questions
Does this abolish the death penalty in California?
No. The death penalty remains on the books, and prosecutors can still seek it in new cases. Only the legislature and voters can repeal it — voters chose to keep it in 2012 and 2016. Newsom's order changes the sentences of the 548 people currently on death row.
Will all 548 people be taken off death row immediately?
Not all of them. About a third of the commutations take effect immediately. The other 382 — roughly 70 per cent — involve prisoners convicted of more than one felony, and the California Supreme Court must approve those grants under the state constitution. No timeline has been announced.
Will anyone be released from prison?
No. Every commuted sentence becomes life in prison without the possibility of parole. Newsom stressed that "this is not a pathway to freedom" and that the prisoners are not getting paroled.
Who is on California's death row?
The 548 people include 529 men and 19 women, according to the governor's office. Among the best known are Randy Kraft, Richard Allen Davis and Charles Ng. Nearly two-thirds of the condemned population came from five Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego.
What happens next?
The California Supreme Court will review the 382 cases that require its approval. Newsom leaves office in January, and his successor, Xavier Becerra, has said he will extend the execution moratorium. Prosecutors and victims' groups are expected to challenge aspects of the decision in court.
Key takeaways
- Governor Gavin Newsom is commuting all 548 California death sentences to life without parole — the largest mass commutation in US history if the courts approve it.
- 382 of the commutations, about 70 per cent, still need approval from the California Supreme Court; there is no announced timeline.
- The move does not abolish the death penalty: voters kept it in 2012 and 2016, and prosecutors can still seek it in new cases.
- California has not executed anyone since 2006, despite holding the largest death row in the country.
- Reactions split sharply: the ACLU and some victims' families praised the decision, while prosecutors and other victims' families condemned it.
What to watch next is the California Supreme Court's review of the 382 cases requiring its approval, and whether prosecutors or victims' groups mount a legal challenge. Newsom's successor takes office in January, and the court's handling of the commutations will determine whether California's death row is emptied in full — or only in part.
