# California governor commutes sentences of more than 500 people on death row

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/california-governor-commutes-sentences-of-more-than-500-people-on-death-row/
- Published: 2026-11-06T01:39:35+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T02:24:33+00:00
- Original publisher: Al Jazeera (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/6/california-governor-commutes-sentences-of-more-than-500-people-on-death-row?traffic_source=rss
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- Newsom will commute all 548 California death sentences.
- Prisoners will serve life without parole.
- Court review is required for about two-thirds of the cases.

## Summary

California Governor Gavin Newsom says he will commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row, replacing them with life imprisonment without parole. It is the largest mass clemency in US history and marks a major shift in a state that has not carried out an execution for 20 years.

The commutations would reduce the national death row population by nearly 30 per cent, though about two-thirds require review by the California Supreme Court before becoming final. California has spent $6bn on capital punishment since 1978 and carried out 13 executions; at least 203 people sentenced to death in the US have later been exonerated since 1973. Newsom says the death penalty conflicts with California’s values, while supporters and critics continue to debate its deterrent effect, fairness and cost.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.