Newsom acknowledged that his decision would cause pain for relatives of murder victims, particularly those whose loved ones were killed in particularly brutal crimes. (Photo/X@CAgovemor)
\n\nCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted the death sentences of all 548 prisoners on the state's death row, sparing them execution and converting their sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in one of the largest mass clemency decisions in US history.
\n\nAnnouncing the decision on Thursday, November 5, Newsom said he believed capital punishment was incompatible with the state's values and undermined the foundations of its justice system.
\n\n“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 wrote in an open letter to Californians.
\n\nThe decision effectively clears California's death row for the first time since the state carried out executions by hanging in the late 19th century. The 548 prisoners include 529 men and 19 women, representing more than a quarter of the people sentenced to death across the United States.
\n\nHowever, the commutations are not all immediately final. Under California law, the state Supreme Court must review clemency decisions involving…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/latest-news
