Mecklenburg County Commissioners and law enforcement leaders weighed in on the impacts of Iryna’s law which begins Monday.
Local leaders say they’re bracing for an increase in arrests, a larger jail population, and more people required to wear electronic monitors. House Bill 307 was passed in response to the killing of Iryna Zarutska to tighten pretrial release conditions for people arrested, especially those with mental health concerns.
The bill provides funding for 10 additional assistant district attorneys in Mecklenburg County and five new legal assistants. It also creates a new category of violent offenses, including murder and arson.
Starting in December, law enforcement agencies, pretrial services programs, and district attorneys will need to give judges a criminal history report for every defendant before release decisions are made.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden says if jails fill up, more funding will be needed.
"Our people who eat inside do not eat the same thing and you're talking about funding for additional medical and we haven't even talk about the mental capacity of functioning to give them the resources that they need and then transporting them to these additional hearings beyond what we transport now," McFadden told commissioners.
Several county commissioners say they’re worried about how the new law could strain local law enforcement and district offices.
