Iryna’s Law Could Overload NC System

A criminal-justice law passed this year is expected to send even more people into North Carolina’s already overburdened involuntary commitment system — a system hospital leaders and former law enforcement officers say is stretched thin, unsafe, and in urgent need of overhaul.

That warning framed the first meeting of the new House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety. The panel was created after lawmakers passed Iryna’s Law, named for Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed in Charlotte. A man with a history of severe mental illness, Decarlos Brown, is charged with her death.

Iryna’s Law adds new procedures for magistrates and is expected to significantly increase the number of people ordered to undergo mental health evaluations. The law, which takes effect in December 2026, authorizes court-ordered evaluations for individuals — including those already in law enforcement custody — who are not in crisis or medically unstable.

Emergency physicians say that requirement could funnel large numbers of stable detainees into overcrowded hospital emergency departments.

A doctor representing the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians told legislators on Thursday that the upcoming implementation of Iryna’s Law could place a heavy, unintended burden on emergency departments unless the law is narrowly tailored and supported by alternative evaluation pathways. They said transporting stable individuals into emergency departments for non-urgent assessments “diverts critical resources from true emergencies.”

How IVC works in North Carolina

In North Carolina, an involuntary commitment (IVC) allows a person to be taken to a psychiatric or substance-use treatment facility against their will if they pose a danger to themselves or others.

Mark Botts of the UNC School of Government told lawmakers that magistrates initiate IVC cases by ordering a first commitment examination. Law enforcement must then transport the individual to an emergency department or crisis facility for that evaluation.

If a clinician recommends commitment, hospitals begin the search for an available psychiatric bed. A second examination is required once a bed is found, followed by a court hearing.

Because crisis care capacity is limited statewide, that process often stalls.

Long delays and repeated petition renewals

“The shortage of psychiatric beds, especially in specialty units, creates bottlenecks that leave patients boarding in the EDs for days, weeks, and sometimes months,” said Johana Troccolli, system vice president for behavioral health at Duke University Health System.

An IVC petition expires after seven days if no bed is available. Still, magistrates can renew petitions repeatedly — leaving individuals stuck in emergency departments for days or weeks with no treatment and no access to a lawyer.  Botts noted that North Carolina lacks reliable statewide data on the number of people subject to IVC orders and the average wait time in hospitals.

Troccolli also warned that emergency departments are not equipped to safely hold individuals who may be violent or facing pending criminal charges.

Former law enforcement: Officers are tied up for hours

Former police officials on the committee said the system already pulls officers off the street for prolonged periods.

Rep. Reese Pyrtle, a former Eden police chief, said his department tracked officer hours spent in emergency departments over more than a decade. Officers often remained with the same individuals during repeated crises, he said, and many were released without connections to community treatment.

“Law enforcement and hospitals can’t say ‘no,’” Pyrtle said. “It’s disheartening because it means the consumer who needs the services is not getting them.”

Committee leaders say the system needs more than quick fixes

Committee co-chair Rep. Timothy Reeder, a physician, said testimony made clear that North Carolina’s current IVC framework is not functioning as intended.

“I hope we’re going to come up with a way to improve the system and not just put Band-Aids on the existing system,” Reeder said. “What I think you’ve heard today is that the system is not functioning in a way that is efficient and effective.”

Next steps for lawmakers

The House Select Committee will continue hearing from hospitals, emergency physicians, magistrates, behavioral health providers, and law enforcement as it develops recommendations for the next legislative session.

As the December 2026 rollout of Iryna’s Law approaches, lawmakers say they intend to closely examine transportation burdens, hospital capacity, court procedures, and public safety risks to ensure that any new requirements do not further overwhelm the state’s crisis-response system.

You may read the documents discussed here and watch the meeting here.