California Gov Newsom commutes death sentences for all 548 people on death row

expedition32

A beautiful statement by Newsom. Prisoners rotting away in a supermax prison is a much better punishment than the 15 minutes of fame they get from their execution.

xvxvx

‘The decision to spare death row inmates is largely symbolic in a state that has not executed an inmate since 2006, though experts say it could save millions of dollars in court costs each year. Only 13 inmates have been executed since voters reinstated the death penalty in 1978.’ He’s a politician for sure. Make a big scene out of nothing.

bahmboo

Consider that a non-zero number of them are likely innocent. It's hard to know for sure but even 1% is 5 people. There has been some research on it.

OgsyedIE

What are the reasons to not believe that this is just a stunt designed to support a flimsy and unprincipled narrative of his shifting away from the side of the party closest in culture to the losers of the midterms?

georgemcbay

Good thing even if mostly symbolic. Still won't vote for him in a primary. Maybe not in a general election either (even though I normally practice harm reduction voting)... but if he's the Democratic nominee in 2028 we're already off the cliff.

mcv

Did California have people on death row? I thought that was more a Texan thing.

bryanrasmussen

About half of the people in this thread are of the it is better that 10 guilty people go free than one innocent suffer, which is the traditional American view, while it seems that the other half are more in Von Bismarck territory, who said “it is better that ten innocent men suffer than one guilty man escape.” so, that is interesting I guess. https://medium.com/luminasticity/commentary-on-n-guilty-men-...

jimkleiber

I wish we would shift from a punishment strategy to a rehabilitation strategy. Maybe we still determine they stay in prison for life but i think we'd feel much better as a society for at least trying to change their behaviors rather than just essentializing them as evil and determining punishment helps us feel better or deters behavior.

jimbobbam

Didn’t California vote for the death penalty? And then affirm it with another vote a few years ago?

baggy_trough

A wicked action by a wicked man.