Georgia’s 2026 Candidates on Prison and Parole Reform

A Voter Education Guide from Georgia Prisoners’ Speak
Georgia Prisoners’ Speak reached out to candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to understand their positions on criminal justice reform, prison conditions, and parole policy. This guide presents what we found—in candidates’ own words where possible—so Georgia voters and families affected by incarceration can make informed decisions.

Georgia’s prison system faces well-documented challenges. The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation in 2021 citing dangerous conditions and produced their findings on Oct. 1, 2024. Homicides, suicides, and violence have reached record levels. Staffing shortages leave some facilities operating at 50% capacity. And parole grant rates have collapsed from roughly 60% in the 1990s to under 5% today, leaving thousands of Georgians—many who have served decades past their minimum sentences—waiting for hearings that rarely result in release.

Against this backdrop, Georgia voters will choose a new Governor and Lieutenant Governor in 2026. Where do the candidates stand on these issues? We investigated.

The Governor’s Race

Candidates With Detailed Prison Reform Positions

Jake Olinger (Republican)

Olinger, a first-time candidate running a grassroots campaign, has provided the most detailed prison reform platform of any gubernatorial candidate. In written responses to questions from GPS, he committed to:

On Parole:

• Appointing Parole Board members who will increase grant rates, including “at least one formerly incarcerated person, or at least one family member who has lived this experience firsthand”
• Requiring written explanations for all parole denials with specific evidence, risk assessment, and rehabilitation progress—ending vague denials citing only “nature of the crime”
• Automatic review for people sentenced under old 7- and 14-year parole eligibility laws who have served their minimums
• Mandatory timelines and quarterly review batches to speed up hearings

On Prison Conditions:

• Creating an Independent Oversight Office outside GDC’s chain of command
• Mandatory quarterly public reports on deaths, violence, staffing, and medical care
• Supporting independent monitoring with unannounced inspections
• Opposing the $600 million new prison proposal: “Georgia doesn’t have a ‘prison space problem.’ Georgia has a failed policy problem.”

On Sentencing:

• Supporting modification or repeal of Truth in Sentencing laws
• Reducing mandatory minimums
• Expanding earned time credits for education, work, and good behavior
• Reclassifying low-level felonies to misdemeanors

On Economic Issues:

• Capping commissary prices tied to retail cost
• Paying incarcerated workers minimum wage

Olinger stated his foundational belief: “Once you have served your time, your sentence should be over. You should not be dragged through probation, endless restrictions, or financial penalties disguised as ‘supervision.'”

Note: Olinger has never held elected office and has no legislative voting record to evaluate. His commitments are based on written statements to GPS.

Derrick Jackson (Democrat)

State Representative Derrick Jackson (District 68) has articulated reform-oriented positions on his campaign website, advocating for “reimagining community safety from an intersectional perspective.” His platform specifically addresses the “school-to-prison pipeline” and calls for addressing “flaws within the criminal justice system.”

Jackson supports gun violence reform measures and frames his approach around making Georgia “a safer, more just state.”

Note: Jackson’s positions are stated at a higher level than Olinger’s detailed commitments. GPS did not receive responses to specific questions on parole, sentencing, or prison conditions.

Erik Johnson (Freedom Federalist Party)

Erik Johnson is running a grassroots campaign with minimal resources, operating primarily through his X account (@EJForGeorgia). He describes the prison system as “a two way street”—rehabilitation or “the end of the road.”

On Reentry and Felony Records:
Johnson proposes a “Library for We the People” program focused on post-release integration. People leaving prison would receive immediate job placement during probation. Those who maintain employment and demonstrate they are “productive members of society” would have their felony status removed.
“People get put out on probation, and they are tossed back into society without a solid backing… They are meant to fail again,” Johnson stated.

On the Death Penalty:
Johnson calls for expedited executions—“two or three days” after conviction for those convicted of murder or “heinous crimes”—arguing this would deter violent crime.

Note: Johnson is a first-time candidate with no campaign website or prior political experience. The “Freedom Federalist Party” is not a recognized political party in Georgia. His campaign operates solely through social media (@EJForGeorgia on X).

Candidates Emphasizing Law Enforcement and Prosecution

Burt Jones (Republican)

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones has built his criminal justice record around expanding penalties. As presiding officer of the Senate, he led passage of:

• SB 44 (2023): Created 5-year mandatory minimums for gang offenses and 10-year minimums for recruiting minors into gangs
• SB 63 (2024): Expanded cash bail requirements for 30 additional offenses, including 18 misdemeanors
• 2025 legislation increasing mandatory minimums for fentanyl trafficking

Jones describes himself as a “big law and order guy” who has “been tough on crime.” His campaign promises to “strengthen penalties for sex traffickers, gang members and repeat offenders.” He has received endorsements from more than 60 Georgia sheriffs.

Jones’s campaign website and public statements contain no positions on prison conditions, parole reform, GDC oversight, or rehabilitation programs.

Chris Carr (Republican)

Attorney General Chris Carr campaigns on his prosecution record. As AG, he created Georgia’s first Gang Prosecution Unit and Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, securing 120+ gang convictions and 60+ human trafficking convictions.

Carr supported mandatory minimum expansion, stating: “If you are an adult that’s going to recruit a child into a gang…you are going to have a minimum amount of time that you’re going to spend in prison.”

His campaign goal: Make Georgia “the toughest state in the nation on crime.” He has received endorsements from 53 county sheriffs.

Carr has no documented positions on prison conditions, parole reform, or GDC oversight. His prison-related focus has been disrupting gang activity through prosecution.

Brad Raffensperger (Republican)

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s gubernatorial campaign contains no substantive positions on prison reform, parole, or sentencing. His only documented parole-related action was launching professional licensing reform to help “paroled prison inmates navigate the licensing system.”

Criminal justice does not appear to be a campaign priority, with his platform focusing on election integrity, economic issues, and border security.

Geoff Duncan (Democrat)

Former Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who switched from Republican to Democrat in 2025, has some relevant legislative history. He sponsored SB 441 (Criminal Record Responsibility Act) improving statewide criminal data reporting and passed historic hate crimes legislation in 2020.

However, his 2026 campaign focuses on childcare, healthcare, and housing rather than criminal justice reform.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Race

The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Georgia Senate, controlling committee assignments and procedural matters that determine which legislation reaches the floor. This makes the position significant for any reform efforts.

Candidates With Prison Reform Records

Josh McLaurin (Democrat)

State Senator Josh McLaurin (District 14) has the most documented legislative record on prison reform among Lieutenant Governor candidates.

Legislative Actions:

• Co-chaired the 2021 House Democratic Caucus Committee investigating Georgia’s prison crisis, where he declared: “The level of human rights abuses is intolerable. We want to change the system.”
• Sponsored legislation to restore voting rights to Georgians with felony convictions (HB 101, HR 28, SB 179), potentially affecting approximately 200,000 people
• Voted NO on SB 63 (2024), which expanded cash bail requirements
• Voted NO on SB 79 (2025), which increased fentanyl sentences—one of only three senators opposing

Stated Positions:

On prison conditions: “It’s hard to overstate what an abject failure this agency has become… It takes every elected official in the state recognizing that this is the human rights crisis of our time.”

On new prison construction: “Simply purchasing a new prison or building a new prison is not going to change the basic conditions that these people find themselves in.”

On parole: McLaurin advocates for increased parole as an “evidence-based safety valve” and regularly attends Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles meetings.

On sentencing: “We know that locking more people up for longer sentences is taking away their ability piece by piece to participate in society.”

McLaurin’s mentor was Stephen B. Bright, the defense attorney who spent his career at the Southern Center for Human Rights representing death row inmates and disadvantaged communities.

Republican Lieutenant Governor Candidates

Blake Tillery — Senate Appropriations Chair with 62 sheriff endorsements. His background includes criminal defense work, but his campaign contains no prison reform positions.

David Clark — State Representative who frames crime through an immigration lens, promising to “stand with law enforcement to crush violent crime.”

Steve Gooch — Senate Majority Leader with general “public safety” messaging but no specific positions on prisons or parole.

John F. Kennedy — Former Senate Pro Tem with no documented prison reform positions.

None of the Republican Lieutenant Governor candidates have articulated positions on prison conditions, parole reform, sentencing policy, or GDC oversight.

What Candidates Haven’t Addressed

Despite Georgia’s well-documented prison challenges, most candidates have not taken positions on:

The three leading Republican gubernatorial candidates—Jones, Carr, and Raffensperger—have collectively received endorsements from over 160 sheriffs but have offered no positions on prison conditions, parole policy, or rehabilitation.

How to Use This Guide

This guide presents candidates’ stated positions and records without endorsement. We encourage voters to:

1. Contact campaigns directly to ask questions about issues that matter to you
2. Attend candidate forums where these questions can be raised publicly
3. Review voting records for candidates who have served in the legislature
4. Distinguish between promises and track records—some candidates have documented legislative histories while others have commitments without prior experience

For families affected by Georgia’s prison and parole system, these races will shape policy for years to come. The Governor appoints all five members of the Parole Board. The Lieutenant Governor controls which legislation reaches the Senate floor. Your voice—and your vote—matters.

Call to Action: What You Can Do

Awareness without action changes nothing. Here are the most effective ways you can help push for accountability and real reform:

Contact Your Representatives

Your state legislators control GDC’s budget, oversight, and the laws that created these failures. Demand accountability and transparency.

• Find your Georgia legislators: https://openstates.org/findyourlegislator
• Governor Brian Kemp: (404) 656-1776
• Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner: (478) 992-5246

Demand Media Coverage

Journalists need to know these stories matter. Contact newsrooms at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, local TV stations, and national outlets covering criminal justice. More coverage means more pressure for reform.

Use Impact Justice AI

Our free tool at https://impactjustice.ai helps you instantly draft and send personalized emails to lawmakers, journalists, and agencies. No expertise required—just your voice and your concern.

Amplify on Social Media

Share this article and call out the people in power.

Tag: @GovKemp, @GDC_Georgia, your local representatives

Use hashtags such as #GAPrisons, #PrisonReform, #GeorgiaPrisonerSpeak

Public pressure works—especially when it’s loud.

File Public Records Requests

Georgia’s Open Records Act gives every citizen the right to access government documents. Request:

• Incident reports
• Death records
• Staffing data
• Medical logs
• Financial and contract documents

Transparency reveals truth.

Attend Public Meetings

The Georgia Board of Corrections holds public meetings. Legislative committees review corrections issues during session. Your presence is noticed.

Contact the Department of Justice

For civil rights violations in Georgia prisons, file a complaint with the DOJ Civil Rights Division:

https://civilrights.justice.gov

Federal oversight has forced abusive systems to change before.

Support Organizations Doing This Work

Donate to or volunteer with Georgia-based prison reform groups fighting for change on the ground.

Vote

Research candidates’ positions on criminal justice. Primary elections often determine outcomes in Georgia. Your vote shapes who controls these systems.

Contact GPS

Georgia Prisoners’ Speak exists because incarcerated people and their families deserve to be heard. If you have information about conditions inside Georgia’s prisons, contact us securely at GPS.press.

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.

Further Reading

• The Classification Crisis: How Four Medium Security Prisons Are Killing People *GPS investigation reveals how misclassification policies have created killing fields in Georgia’s medium security facilities.*

• When Warnings Go Ignored: How Georgia’s Prison Deaths Became Predictable *Documenting the pattern of dismissed warnings that preceded Georgia’s prison mortality crisis.*

• A Simple Message for the GDC *Nine specific, actionable reforms that could transform Georgia’s prison system.*

• Lethal Negligence: The Hidden Death Toll in Georgia’s Prisons *Comprehensive investigation into medical neglect and preventable deaths across Georgia’s correctional system.*

• The Hidden Violence in Georgia’s Prisons: Beyond the Death Toll *An analysis of the violence epidemic that extends far beyond mortality statistics.*