California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday putting a moratorium on executions in the state.

In a statement, Newsom explained the decision:

The death penalty has been an abject failure. It discriminates based on the color of your skin or how much money you make. It’s ineffective, irreversible, and immoral. It goes against the very values that we stand for.

The executive order calls for immediate withdrawal of California’s lethal injection protocols and closure of the state’s unused execution chamber.

While the order does not release any current inmates, the governor hopes to commute death sentences and ultimately repeal capital punishment in the future.