News Lead
The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles released just 5,443 people from prison in fiscal year 2024 — a 42% decline from 9,455 releases in fiscal year 2019, according to the Board’s own annual report. The steep, five-year drop in parole grants is keeping thousands of additional people locked in Georgia’s prisons each year, even as the Board’s data shows that 72% of people released on parole complete it successfully, far exceeding the estimated national average of 60%.
For people serving life sentences, the path to freedom has become nearly impassable. The Board considered 2,046 life sentence cases in FY 2024 but granted parole to only 67 people convicted of serious violent felonies — an approval rate of just 3.3%. Those who are eventually released now spend an average of 29.2 years in prison before gaining their freedom, more than triple the average of less than 9 years in 1973.
The declining releases come at a significant fiscal cost to the state. Georgia spends $68.51 per day to incarcerate one person, compared to just $2.89 per day for parole supervision. The Board itself reports that parole generates $343 million in annual cost avoidance — a figure that would be substantially higher if releases had not fallen so dramatically.
Key Takeaway: Georgia’s Parole Board has cut prison releases by 42% over five years while its own data shows people released on parole succeed at rates far above the national average.
Quotable Statistics
Parole Releases in Freefall
– 5,443 people released from prison on parole in FY 2024, down from 9,455 in FY 2019 — a 42% decline over five years
– The Board released 420 fewer people in FY 2024 than in FY 2023 (5,863)
– Year-by-year decline: FY19: 9,455 → FY20: 10,429 → FY21: 8,634 → FY22: 6,245 → FY23: 5,863 → FY24: 5,443
Life Sentences: De Facto Life Without Parole
– 2,046 life sentence cases considered; only 67 people convicted of serious violent felonies were granted parole — a 3.3% approval rate
– Average time served on a life sentence before release: 29.2 years in FY 2024, up from less than 9 years in 1973
– Legislative changes raised minimum parole eligibility for serious violent felonies from 7 years (pre-1995) to 14 years (1995–2006) to 30 years (after June 30, 2006)
The Cost of Keeping People Locked Up
– Daily incarceration cost: $68.51 per person
– Daily parole supervision cost: $2.89 per person
– Annual cost avoidance from parole: more than $343 million
Parole Success vs. Declining Opportunity
– 72% of people on parole completed it successfully — vs. an estimated 60% national average
– 15,105 people on parole supervision as of June 30, 2024, down from 16,369 a year earlier
– Technical violations accounted for less than 1% of all parole revocations
Scale of Operations
– 19,328 parole-eligible cases considered by the Board
– 69,375 total votes cast by five Board Members
– 179 total full-time employees manage the entire process
– Georgia’s prison population: approximately 50,000 people, up from 9,000 in 1973 — yet the Board still has only 5 voting members
Key Takeaway: Parole releases have fallen 42% since FY 2019, people serving life sentences face a 3.3% approval rate, and the average life-sentenced person now spends 29.2 years in prison before release.
Context and Background
What this report is: The FY 2024 Annual Report of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, the constitutionally established body that holds sole authority over parole, pardons, and commutations — including death sentences — in Georgia. The Governor does not have this authority.
Why releases are declining: The report does not explicitly state why parole releases have fallen so sharply. However, it documents a series of legislative changes that have dramatically restricted parole eligibility. For the most serious violent felonies (known as “seven deadly sins” offenses — murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, and aggravated sexual battery), the minimum time before parole eligibility has increased fourfold: from 7 years before 1995, to 14 years between 1995 and 2006, to 30 years for crimes committed after June 30, 2006. The Board also updated its Parole Decision Guidelines Rating System in FY 2023, raising crime severity levels for certain offenses.
How parole decisions are made: Georgia does not hold parole hearings. Instead, parole investigators interview people in prison and compile case files. Hearing examiners apply the Board’s scientific guidelines to generate a recommended time-to-serve. Five Board Members then vote independently on each case; three votes are needed to grant or deny parole. People granted parole receive a Tentative Parole Month (TPM) — a future possible release date that can be rescinded at any time.
What this means for Georgia’s prisons: The prison population stands at approximately 50,000 — more than five times the 9,000 population that prompted the Board’s expansion from three to five members in 1973. The Board has not expanded since. With 179 full-time employees processing over 19,000 cases per year, the system is operating at enormous scale with limited resources.
Performance Incentive Credits: People in prison can earn credits toward earlier parole consideration by completing educational, vocational, and treatment programs. The Board granted 29,962 PIC points in FY 2024. However, the continued decline in overall releases suggests that earned credits are not translating into proportionally more releases.
Commutation under SB174: Of 761 cases considered for commutation under SB174 (which allows commutation for people who completed 12 consecutive months of successful parole), only 9 were granted — a 1.2% approval rate.
Key Takeaway: Legislative changes have quadrupled minimum parole eligibility for violent offenses, and the Board’s own data suggests the system is granting freedom to fewer people even as those released succeed at high rates.
Story Angles
1. “Life Means Life”: Georgia’s Vanishing Path to Parole for Life-Sentenced People
With a 3.3% approval rate and average time served now at 29.2 years, Georgia’s life sentence with parole eligibility has become functionally indistinguishable from life without parole for the vast majority of people. This angle could explore the human stories behind those 2,046 cases considered — and the 1,979 people denied. What does it mean for someone to prepare for a parole review knowing the odds are this low? How does this compare to other states? What are the fiscal implications of housing an aging population for decades?
2. The Shrinking Door: Why Georgia Is Releasing 42% Fewer People Despite High Success Rates
The Board’s own data creates a striking contradiction: people released on parole succeed at a 72% rate (well above the 60% national average), yet the Board is releasing dramatically fewer people each year. This investigative angle could examine whether the Board’s increasing conservatism is driven by political pressure, legislative changes, or internal policy shifts — and what it means for the approximately 50,000 people in Georgia’s prisons and the state’s $68.51-per-day incarceration costs.
3. The $343 Million Question: What Georgia Saves on Parole — and What It’s Leaving on the Table
The Board reports $343 million in annual cost avoidance from parole supervision versus incarceration. But with 4,000 fewer people being released annually compared to FY 2019, the state is forgoing potentially hundreds of millions more in savings. This fiscal angle — especially relevant during budget season — could examine whether Georgia taxpayers are paying more to keep people in prison who the Board’s own evidence-based system would predict could safely return to their communities.
Read the Source Document
📄 Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles Annual Report FY 2024 (PDF) — Link to full document
Other Versions
- 📋 Public Version — Plain-language summary for community members and advocates
- 🏛️ Legislator Version — Policy brief with legislative recommendations for Georgia lawmakers