California governor commutes the death sentences of all 548 inmates on death row

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced on November 5 that he was commuting the death sentences of the 548 inmates awaiting execution on the state's death row, replacing them with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Newsom set out the decision in an open letter to all Californians shortly before he leaves office. The Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a Catholic organization that campaigns against capital punishment, called it the largest mass commutation of sentences in world history.

The commutations cover more than a quarter of all death row inmates in the United States. Newsom, who identifies as Catholic, said that after nearly 30 years in public life he had become convinced that state-ordered execution is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of the legal system and diminishes all of society.

Grounds for the commutation and its legality

In his letter, Newsom described life without the possibility of release as the most severe penalty he can lawfully impose. He summed up his position by saying that those convicted "will die in prison, but not by our hand." He said the decision was among the hardest of his career, precisely because it could reopen wrenching memories for victims' families.

The California Constitution requires the state Supreme Court to review and approve commutations for people with multiple serious felony convictions. Newsom said he was confident that the commutations as a whole comply with current law. In 2019 he signed an executive order suspending executions for as long as he remains in office.

A Catholic view of restorative justice

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, called the decision "an extraordinarily hopeful and historic witness in favor of life and human dignity," and said it shows how justice can be built on mercy and repair rather than on death and vengeance.

CMN said each of the 548 inmates receives "a tangible sign of hope and a chance at rehabilitation," and that every person deserves the opportunity to turn pain and suffering into healing, redemption and wholeness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the death penalty is "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."

Recognizing the suffering of victims

Vaillancourt Murphy said she wanted to acknowledge the suffering of the families and loved ones of homicide victims, a pain she described as incomparable. "We hear the cry for justice and accountability that serious harm rightly deserves, and we continue to hold them in prayer," she said.

In a later message to the network's supporters, she cited the prophet Micah, "to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God," as an expression of everything the decision represents.

Hopes for change nationwide

CMN, based in Washington, D.C., is a national organization that mobilizes Catholics and people of good will to abolish the death penalty and promote restorative justice. Vaillancourt Murphy said Newsom had shown "the kind of moral clarity and political courage that defines lasting leadership" and had set a national standard that the organization hopes other governors will follow, in particular Mike DeWine of Ohio, Laura Kelly of Kansas and Kay Ivey of Alabama.

In the United States, inmates usually spend more than a decade on death row. The average wait is around 22 years, though some remain there 30 to 40 years before being executed or having their cases resolved another way.