Early Prison Release Bombshell

Over 560 people released early from North Carolina prisons under a COVID-era deal have since been rearrested — and some of those names on the release list are now raising serious questions about who was let out and why.

Story Snapshot

A 2021 court settlement signed under then-Gov. Roy Cooper released at least 3,500 inmates early from North Carolina prisons.
More than 560 of those released have been rearrested, including individuals convicted of violent and sex crimes against children.
North Carolina lawmakers launched a formal investigation, with House Speaker Destin Hall calling the findings “worse than we thought.”
Cooper, now running for U.S. Senate, calls criticism of the program “misleading and not accurate.”

The Settlement That Set 3,500 Prisoners Free

In February 2021, Roy Cooper’s administration reached a legal settlement in the case known as NC NAACP v. Cooper. The deal was pushed by a coalition that included the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina, and several other advocacy groups. They argued that crowded prison conditions created an unconstitutional health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement resulted in the early release of at least 3,500 people from state custody. ^[8]

The settlement also included health protocols — vaccines, testing, and isolation procedures — but the early releases are what drew the most attention. The critical question was never really whether a deal was struck. It was who, exactly, got out. That answer is still being pieced together, and what investigators are finding is alarming. ^[3]

Child Rapists and Violent Offenders on the Release List

North Carolina Republican lawmakers launched a formal investigation into the release program in 2026. House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate Leader Phil Berger are leading the probe. Hall said the findings are “worse than we thought.” Reporting has since identified individuals convicted of child rape and other violent offenses among those released under the settlement. One person on the list is a Honduran national in the country illegally. ^[5] ^[10]

The National Republican Senatorial Committee highlighted several of the most troubling cases publicly, pointing to people released under the deal who went on to commit murder and other violent crimes. ^[1] Cooper’s team has pushed back hard, calling outside analyses of the program misleading. His campaign also pointed out that at least one high-profile case — the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train — was not directly tied to his release program. Records showed that the man charged in that killing, DeCarlo Brown, was not released under the settlement. ^[2]

The Recidivism Problem Cooper Cannot Shake

More than 560 rearrests among a group of 3,500 is a recidivism rate that demands scrutiny. That is roughly one in six. For context, the question is not just how many were rearrested — it is what they did after getting out. When the cohort includes people convicted of raping children, the “public health emergency” framing starts to wear thin. ^[1] ^[6]

Roy Cooper was court-ordered to release your list of inmates from prison.
Therefore it was the Courts and the Wardens that released these criminals.
And it was due to health risks during Trump's botched pandemic response.
What's in it for you to try to deceive the public?

— all axe to the tee (@bribes_are_ok) June 5, 2026

Cooper’s defenders argue the settlement targeted inmates already close to their release dates, which would have limited the risk. That argument has some logic to it. But the release list has not been made fully public, and that secrecy is fueling suspicion. Longleaf Politics described efforts to “flesh out” what they called Cooper’s “secret list,” suggesting the full scope of who was released is still not known. ^[9] When a government program affecting public safety lacks transparency, the public has every right to demand answers — especially when children were among the victims of crimes committed by those on the list.

A Senate Race Built on a Dangerous Paper Trail

Cooper is now running for U.S. Senate, and this issue is following him. The timing matters. Voters in North Carolina are being asked to trust a man whose administration released thousands of inmates under a deal that included violent offenders. The investigation is ongoing, and each new name surfaced from that list is another data point that his critics will use. ^[3] ^[4]

The COVID emergency is over. The political emergency for Roy Cooper is just beginning. Lawmakers say they are not done digging, and the list of names attached to this story is only going to grow. Whether Cooper can survive the scrutiny in a competitive Senate race may depend on how much of that list eventually becomes public. ^[5] ^[10]