Roy Cooper Faces Heat After 560 Released Inmates Were Rearrested Following 3,500-Prisoner COVID Deal
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 11
Roy Cooper Faces Heat After 560 Released Inmates Were Rearrested Following 3,500-Prisoner COVID Deal
12 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 11
More than 560 North Carolina inmates released under a 2021 COVID-era prison settlement were arrested on new charges within two years, according to a Fox News Digital review of state sentencing data.
The releases covered about 3,500 inmates over 180 days from February to August 2021 after a lawsuit over pandemic prison conditions; from a sample of 1,180 prisoners, 48% were rearrested and 20% were later convicted.
Several cited cases involved serious violent crimes after release, including Tyrell Brace, later charged with first-degree murder, Daron Owens, later sentenced to 10 years in a federal gun case, and others later convicted of murder.
The data has become a Senate campaign attack line, with Republican Michael Whatley accusing Cooper of endangering public safety, while Cooper's campaign says he fought the releases in court and calls the GOP claims false.
The dispute lands in a closely watched North Carolina Senate race that could help decide chamber control, keeping Cooper's pandemic-era prison record under renewed scrutiny.
How can states balance urgent health crises in prisons with long-term public safety?
Do stricter bail laws truly enhance safety or just worsen prison overcrowding issues?
Beyond early release, what systemic reentry failures contribute to high rates of re-offense?