Press Releases

September 12, 2025

Contact: Esteban Elizondo 

Washington, DC: Congressman Randy Fine introduces the Judicial Accountability for Irresponsible Leniency Act, also known as the JAIL Act, which authorizes civil actions against judges and other government entities that release repeat offenders without bail who commit follow-up crimes. 

This legislation comes after the murder of Iryna Zarutzka, a 23-year-old woman who was brutally stabbed to death on her way home from work on public transportation by Decarlos Brown Jr., a violent criminal with 14 prior arrests. Decarlos Brown Jr.'s senseless murder was enabled by Magistrate Teresa Stokes, who released this criminal without bail. Stokes did not possess a law degree. 

Lenient judges and government bureaucrats are continuously releasing repeat offenders from jail and flooding neighborhoods with unnecessary violence. These dangerous, immoral decisions have cost countless innocent lives. Judges who let these criminals walk freely must be held accountable. 

Congressman Fine Stated, "If a bartender could be held accountable for serving too many drinks to someone caught driving with a DWI, a judge who released a murderer with 14 prior arrests should be held to the same standards. My new bill holds these judges accountable and allows families to sue judges who release repeat offenders on a get out of jail free card. I want them to give serious pause before making pro-crime decisions." 

Congressman Randy Fine continued, "Murderers should not be roaming freely on our streets. Evil judges who hide behind taxpayer-funded private security deserve their own day in court if they endanger Americans. For the pro-crime Democrats, I have a message for you: Yes, you can arrest your way out of crime." 

Congressman Randy Fine will continue to fight for justice for families who have lost someone due to judicial negligence and to ensure that no more lives are stolen by criminals who should have never been released in the first place.  

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