On Monday, Dec. 1, “Iryna’s Law” will go into effect in North Carolina. Republican lawmakers introduced the act in response to the stabbing death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska last Aug. 22.
What will change starting Dec. 1
Violent offenders face stricter pretrial release rules
There will be no more written promises to appear. As you may remember, Decarlos Dejuan Brown, Jr., the man who stabbed Iryna in the neck on the Charlotte light rail, was released from his last arrest in Jan. 2025 on a written promise to appear.
For first violent offense, the only option is secured bond or house arrest (with a secured bond.) For subsequent violent offenses, when a defendant has either a prior violent offense conviction or is on pre-trial release, the judge must impose house arrest with electronic monitoring.
Judges must consider all criminal history, not just convictions. This would have helped keep Brown off the streets; he had 14 prior arrests, for crimes ranging from shoplifting to robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm.
Unsecured bonds and custody release will be harder to obtain. Starting Monday, no one who has committed a violent offense can post an unsecured bond or a custody release. Also, these release types are now prohibited for anyone convicted three or more times on class 1 misdemeanors over the past ten years.
At midnight tomorrow, Iryna’s Law will officially become the law of the land in North Carolina.
Iryna’s Law will eliminate cashless bail for ALL violent offenders in the state.
We haven’t forgotten you, Iryna. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rl7DTTBmYu
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) November 29, 2025
Tougher punishments for lenient magistrates
Not only will it be harder for recidivists to obtain pretrial release, but judges who do not submit written explanations of why they granted pretrial release may be suspended or removed.
In addition, when crimes are committed on public transportation, that will be considered an “aggravating factor,” allowing prosecutors to seek more severe penalties.
Budget concerns
While the tighter rules please anyone anxious to keep repeat violent offenders locked up, county officials are worried about how they will pay for it. In the past week, Charlotte area media reported the strains the new law would bring Mecklenburg County. The county commission expects an increase in jail population, increased staff workload both at the jail and across the justice system, and greater volumes and delays at the Arrest Processing Center.
When many commissioners decried the impact to the budget, commissioner Elaine Powell commended the “good intentions” of state legislators, but added: “It is maddening to think that it is an unfunded mandate, but we were elected to solve problems.” She asked county staff to work with the legislature to seek state dollars for enforcement.
The next few months will show the impact to the criminal justice system in North Carolina. It would be a tragedy if budget shortfalls hindered police and the courts from keeping career criminals off the streets.
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