SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to renovate the state’s lockup, which is home to the largest number of death row inmates in a facility where prisoners can receive education, training and rehabilitation.
Newsom’s office announced new plans Thursday for San Quentin State Prison, which will be renamed the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. The governor plans to visit the prison on the shores of San Francisco Bay on Friday as part of a statewide policy tour.
The plan marks a major change in how the state will shape the fate of those behind bars.
Newsom announced a moratorium on executions in 2019, but nearly 700 inmates remain on death row today.
California’s death penalty has been reduced over the years, and the state last executed inmates in 2006.
Sophie Austin is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on hidden issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna