NC lawmakers pass ‘Iryna’s Law’, now heads to governor’s desk

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina state lawmakers passed new criminal justice reform measures after the murder of a woman on Charlotte’s light rail train. Iryna’s Law is a package of legislation that includes measures to eliminate cashless bail, add new requirements for magistrates and judges and clear the way to restart the death penalty.

The attorney representing the family of Iryna Zarutska says they support bipartisan legislation that brings about systemic change and they don’t believe public safety is a political issue.

“Investing, paying up, using tax dollars wisely in preventative solutions, adequate staffing and comprehensive systems is arguably the most important work of this body,” Beth Helfrich, democrat representing District 98 in Mecklenburg county said.

DeCarlos Brown is charged with Zarutska’s murder. Authorities say he has a history of mental illness and is a repeat offender. Iryna’s law requires judges and magistrates to consider a person’s mental state before pretrial release.

“It’s about trying to identify people who might have mental health issues and could be a harm to themselves or others. There needs to be more precautionary measures to keep those people from easily going back onto the streets immediately,” Rep. Kelly Hastings, republican from Cleveland Gaston said. “When [law enforcement] arrests those people to make a special note that they’ve noticed something that has put them on notice that there could be some sort of mental health issue or other aggravating circumstance.”

The bill also eliminates cashless bail for certain offenses and includes funding for more district attorneys at the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s office. It also funds a study to learn how criminal justice intersects with mental health. Both democrats and republicans in the House supported Iryna’s law. However, Senate democrats voted along party lines.

“There are no long term investments made in these communities with this bill,” Senator Caleb Theodros, democrat representing Mecklenburg county said. “We have a $1 million study in the bill for mental health, as if we all didn’t know that mental health is related to public safety.”

Iryna’s law also clears the way to include firing squads or electrocutions as execution options. Lawmakers say this is one step toward a safer state.

”We have so much more work to do to make sure that our actions are as meaningful as possible,” Representative Helfrich said.
Iryna’s law now heads to Governor Josh Stein’s desk where he can sign it into law or veto it. A statement from a spokeswoman said, “Our office is reviewing the bill. The Governor will always do everything in his power to keep people safe.”
If Governor Stein chooses to veto the bill, the House and Senate could have the power to override the veto with 3/5th of a votes in both chambers.