Letter
Dear Governor Newsom –
In your second and final term as Governor of California, we call on you to lead with compassion by granting commutations to over 5,200 incarcerated people serving Life Without Parole (LWOP).
California has one of the highest LWOP populations in the country. 68% of people sentenced to LWOP in California are Black and Latinx. 62% were sentenced when they were 25 years or younger and 71% were convicted for a first-time offense.
There is a growing momentum across the U.S. to reform life without parole and other extreme sentencing. Commutation provides an avenue for the LWOP sentence to be reviewed and potentially made eligible for parole. It offers people a chance to demonstrate that they have changed. Governors like those in Louisiana and Massachusetts are using their clemency powers significantly more than you are and yet you claim to be championing rehabilitation.
Recently, the UN called on the United States to place a moratorium on all LWOP sentences because they violate international human rights law. By granting clemency to incarcerated people with LWOP sentences, you would affirm their humanity and make California a positive model for criminal justice reform across the country.
Sincerely,
The Drop LWOP Coalition
Mailing Address
- Governor Gavin Newsom
- 1021 O Street, Suite 9000
- Sacramento, CA 95814
