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California commutes death sentences to life sentences
The death penalty has not been carried out in California for 20 years. 548 people are currently on death row there. Now the outgoing Governor Newsom announced that their sentences would be lifelong
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California Governor Death Penalties Become Life in Prison As of: November 6, 2026 • 12:44 a.m
The death penalty has not been carried out in California for 20 years. 548 people are currently on death row there. Now outgoing Governor Newsom has announced that their sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment.
In California, hundreds of outstanding death sentences are to be commuted to life imprisonment. This was announced by outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom.
He will commute the sentences of the 548 inmates currently on death row in California to life imprisonment without the possibility of early release, Newsom said in a letter addressed to "all Californians." "I am taking this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is inconsistent with California's values," it continued.
The announcement was met with outrage within Republican ranks and internationally. more
California has the most death row inmates in the United States. But the state has not carried out the death penalty for 20 years, so the step is considered symbolic. In 2019, Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in the state.
Newsom's decision is also seen as a political signal to President Donald Trump, who is an advocate of the death penalty. Newsom has long been considered the US Democratic presidential candidate. After two terms in office, he was not allowed to run for governor again.
The debate about the death penalty in the United States gained momentum again after the failed execution of death row inmate Christa Pike. The 50-year-old survived two lethal injections in Nashville, Tennessee, at the end of September. Pike was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of a classmate.
Defense Minister Pete Hegseth sparked outrage in October with an announcement that he would broadcast live the execution of assassin Nidal Hasan by firing squad in December. However, after massive public outrage, Trump canceled the live broadcast.
This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | November 5, 2026 | 11:00 p.m