Nearly half of inmates released under then-NC Gov. Roy Cooper during COVID have reoffended — including 18 charged with murder
WASHINGTON — A mass release of North Carolina prisoners under Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper during the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on public safety — with nearly half of the sprung inmates going on to commit more crimes, according to a Post review of state records and reports.
At least 3,500 convicts were released as part of a little-known settlement between Cooper’s administration and civil rights groups in February 2021 — and The Post found more than 600 of those later committed serious felonies like homicides, sex offenses, or other violent crimes.
A staggering 18 of the prisoners released have been charged with murder in the four years since.
In all, North Carolina’s Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission found in a 2024 report that the recidivism rate for the 3,500 released as part of the settlement was 48%, higher than the rate for the nearly 13,000 released over the course of fiscal year 2021 (44%).

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