981 inmates died in Georgia prisons between 2021 and 2024. Homicides increased 95.8% in three years. Gangs control bed assignments, food distribution, and extort families for “protection” money. Staff vacancy rates exceed 70% in some facilities—leaving fewer than one officer per 100 inmates. When the state abandons prisons, gangs fill the vacuum. Georgia’s prisons have become crime hubs, not correctional facilities. 1
Gang Control Is State Abdication
Gangs run Georgia’s prisons because the state doesn’t:
- Bed assignments—gangs decide who sleeps where
- Food distribution—gangs control who eats
- Protection rackets—families pay or inmates suffer
- Violence—142 homicides between 2018 and 2023
U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan confirmed that gang members “have co-opted certain administrative functions like bed assignments from the Department of Corrections and they have extorted money from the family members of incarcerated people.”
Corruption Enables Crime
Guards are part of the problem:
- Operation Skyhawk—drones used to smuggle contraband into multiple prisons
- Telfair State Prison—correctional officers ran drug trafficking operation
- Contraband cellphones—inmate coordinated a drive-by shooting from inside prison
- Staff complicity—officers help gangs in exchange for money
When guards smuggle contraband and run rackets, they’re not security—they’re part of the criminal enterprise.
The Death Toll
Gang violence produces mass casualties:
- 981 deaths—between 2021 and 2024
- 95.8% increase in homicides—over three years
- 2023 record deaths—the highest annual death toll ever recorded
- Stabbings continue—December 2023 saw two fatal stabbings at Central State Prison
The DOJ found constitutional violations throughout Georgia’s system. The violence is not an accident—it’s the predictable result of abandonment. 2
What Reform Requires
Reclaiming prisons from gangs requires:
- Adequate staffing—enough officers to maintain control
- Anti-corruption enforcement—prosecute staff who enable gangs
- Single-person cells—reduce gang violence opportunities
- Independent oversight—external monitoring with enforcement power
Commissioner Tyrone Oliver proposed single-person cells. But structural changes mean nothing without staff to implement them.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding Georgia reclaim its prisons from gang control. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Demand:
- Adequate prison staffing levels
- Prosecution of corrupt correctional officers
- Independent oversight of prison conditions
- Accountability for violence and deaths
Further Reading
- The Black Market Inside Georgia Prisons
- Blood Money: How Georgia’s Prison Economy Thrives on Human Suffering
- GPS Informational Resources
- Pathways to Success
About Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS)
Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) is a nonprofit investigative newsroom built in partnership with incarcerated reporters, families, advocates, and data analysts. Operating independently from the Georgia Department of Corrections, GPS documents the truth the state refuses to acknowledge: extreme violence, fatal medical neglect, gang-controlled dorms, collapsed staffing, fraudulent reporting practices, and unconstitutional conditions across Georgia’s prisons.
Through confidential reporting channels, secure communication, evidence verification, public-records requests, legislative research, and professional investigative standards, GPS provides the transparency the system lacks. Our mission is to expose abuses, protect incarcerated people, support families, and push Georgia toward meaningful reform based on human rights, evidence, and public accountability.
Every article is part of a larger fight — to end the silence, reveal the truth, and demand justice.
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