On August 22, 2025, 23-year-old Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska was stabbed by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. while on the evening train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brown claimed it was his mental illness of schizophrenia. Mental health has become a generalized topic recently, as many incarcerated individuals are mentally unstable. It is my belief that all incarcerated people should be required to go through and pass a mental evaluation before being released.
Some have expressed concerns about why repeat offender (14 charges) Brown had been released from jail. Most of the charges against Brown included burglary and theft; however, the most concerning charge was armed burglary. So, why was Brown released if he had been charged with a violent crime? According to the Associated Press’s author, Claudia Laurer, Brown promised the judge he would show up to his court date, yet never did. When Brown was released, he never received a mental health evaluation to ensure he was mentally fit to return to society. Claudia Laurer said, “A judge signed an order on July 28 telling Brown to report to a community forensic evaluator within seven days. It is unclear if Brown went. Court records show that after the train stabbing, the evaluation order was canceled without being finished.” After Brown was released from jail, his family noticed a change in his behavior.
Some may argue that Brown did not want to stab Zarutska; it was his mental illness that made him commit the crime. If Brown had been properly evaluated, he might not have been released from jail in the first place. This was a fault of our justice system. According to WRAL News, after stabbing Zurutska, Brown was sent to a mental hospital, which is a different reaction than his January misdemeanor arrest. It took over six months for the courts to order Brown a mental evaluation after Brown claimed to officers that he took something that was man-made and took control of his mind and body.
Brown’s mother had noticed him progressively becoming more violent and angry. She was concerned for her personal safety as well as her husband’s. According to ABC News’ reporters Kaitlyn Morris, Megan Forrester, and Vermon Drymon, “Brown’s mother had noticed the violent behavior and had become scared. She took him to a mental health hospital, and the hospital told her that they couldn’t take Brown because there was not enough room for him, and he wasn’t a threat to himself. They told her that you can not force someone in the hospital.”
If a person is violent at home due to mental health issues, they should be evaluated. Even though a patient may not be a threat to themselves, it does not mean that they are not a threat to others. If Brown had been admitted to the hospital, the chances of this crime could have been lower. If Brown had been provided the mental health evaluation he should have received, he might not have been released, thus this crime could have been avoided. The government should create a law requiring arrested individuals to receive a mental health evaluation in order to be released.
