• North Carolina passes "Iryna's Law" aimed at tightening pretrial release conditions and reviving the death penalty.
• The bill follows the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on August 22, sparking public outrage.
• The legislation will limit cashless bail and mandate mental health evaluations for charged individuals.
• Democratic lawmakers criticize the bill, suggesting it exploits tragedy for political gain.
• Governor Josh Stein's decision on the bill remains pending as the law progresses through the legislative process.

In response to the tragic stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, North Carolina's legislature passed "Iryna's Law" to reform the state’s criminal justice system. The bill, officially House Bill 307, was approved by the House with a vote of 81 to 31 after passing the Senate, and aims to modify pretrial release conditions especially for those charged with violent offenses. It specifically addresses the elimination of cashless bail and mandates mental health evaluations for defendants in violent crime cases, according to ABC News, Los Angeles Times, and India Times.

The unfortunate event that spurred the legislation occurred on August 22, when Zarutska, aged 23, was stabbed while riding a light rail train in Charlotte by Decarlos Brown, who had a history of mental illness and prior criminal offenses. The incident was captured on security footage, which intensified public outcry and fueled the passage of the bill. Zarutska was described as a victim of a "senseless, horrible" crime, garnering significant attention from national figures including former President Donald Trump, who criticized the existing release practices for violent offenders, according to CBS News and Newsweek.

"Iryna's Law" additionally includes provisions aimed at potentially reviving the death penalty in North Carolina, a practice that has been effectively on hold since 2006. The bill details a process for selecting alternative methods of execution should lethal injection, currently the only approved method, become unavailable, as highlighted by the legislative discussions, reported by Los Angeles Times and CBS News.