Commutations in capital cases on humanitarian grounds

Commutations in capital cases on humanitarian grounds. Since 1976, 43 death row inmates have been granted clemency for humanitarian reasons. Humanitarian reasons include doubts about the defendant's guilt, questions about the defendant's mental capacity, rehabilitation of the defendant, or the personal convictions of the governor. In 2000, two death row inmates had their death sentence commuted: Marcus Carter in North Carolina on November 21 (see) and Eugene Colvin-el in Maryland in June (see).