California Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he will change all death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"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 said in a letter to Californians
There are 548 people on death row in California.
Newsom added in the letter that he has long opposed death penalty and issued a moratorium on executions in 2019.
Newsom can commute about 40% of the death sentences with the stroke of a pen, but the rest will require the high court's approval to be finalized, according to the Los Angeles Times.
This is a breaking news story, Please check back for the latest version.
Source: Deutsche Welle · Roshni Majumdar
At a glance
- Topic
- World
- Country
- 🇩🇪 DE
- Publisher language
- EN
- Added to Allnira