This explainer is based on Prison Classification Systems & Violence: Misclassification, Overclassification, and Safety Failures. All statistics and findings are drawn directly from this source.
Why This Research Matters for Advocacy
Georgia’s prison classification system — the process that determines where people are housed and at what security level — is failing catastrophically. This GPS investigative report documents how the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has allowed classification decisions to be driven by bed availability rather than safety, placing people with violent histories in medium-security facilities that lack the staffing and infrastructure to keep anyone safe. The result: 142 people were killed in Georgia prisons between 2018 and 2023, with homicides increasing five-fold from 7 in 2018 to 35 in 2023.
This research is a powerful advocacy tool because it connects three failures that GDC and state legislators can no longer ignore:
The DOJ has spoken. The October 2024 DOJ findings report described Georgia’s violations as “among the most severe” uncovered in any DOJ prison investigation. The federal government has explicitly called on GDC to “reevaluate the housing and inmate classification process.” Advocates now have federal backing for demands they have made for years.
The fiscal argument is undeniable. Overclassification wastes taxpayer money — New Mexico’s overclassification cost up to $28 million per year. Georgia is simultaneously overspending on unnecessary high-security placements for low-risk people while failing to provide adequate security for those who need it. Proper classification can reduce both costs and violence.
GPS has the data. Georgia Prisoners’ Speak has identified through independent analysis that medium-security prisons in Georgia house close-security individuals at rates far above what would be expected — a systematic mismatch the state has failed to address. This report gives advocates the evidence base to demand transparency, independent audits, and structural reform.
This research matters right now because Georgia is under federal pressure to act. Every day the state delays classification reform, people die in facilities that were never designed to hold them safely.
Key Takeaway: The DOJ’s finding that Georgia’s violations are ‘among the most severe’ ever investigated, combined with GPS data showing systematic classification mismatches, gives advocates unprecedented leverage to demand immediate reform.
Talking Points
The state is killing people through misclassification. The DOJ found that close-security individuals — defined as escape risks with assault histories deemed dangerous — are being housed in medium-security facilities not designed or staffed for that population. This directly contributed to a five-fold increase in prison homicides, from 7 in 2018 to 35 in 2023.
GDC leadership has lost control. The DOJ found that “the leadership of the Georgia Department of Corrections has lost control of its facilities,” resulting in “near-constant life-threatening violence.” At one close-security prison, a single officer was responsible for tracking 400 beds.
Classification decisions are driven by bed availability, not safety. The DOJ found that GDC’s classification decisions appear driven by bed availability rather than risk assessment — the same failure that led to a guard’s murder and multiple deaths in New Mexico’s prison system.
GDC is hiding the true death toll. GDC reported only 6 homicides for the first 5 months of 2024 in its mortality data, but at least 18 deaths were categorized as homicides in incident reports — three times the official figure.
The staffing crisis makes classification meaningless. Georgia’s correctional officer staffing has collapsed to 50% of full levels, with some prisons exceeding 60% vacancy rates. Classification becomes meaningless when there is no staff to enforce security boundaries.
Vulnerable populations face heightened danger. The DOJ found that GDC does not adequately screen, classify, or track LGBTI individuals. Transgender women are often housed with male inmates and face heightened assault risk due to inadequate classification protocols.
Women are systematically overclassified. Research shows classification systems overclassify women into higher risk categories than warranted by their behavior, increasing limitations on their freedoms and access to programming.
Proper classification saves money AND saves lives. Federal data shows minimum-security costs $21,006 per person per year versus $33,930 for high security. Overclassification cost New Mexico up to $28 million annually. Georgia can reduce violence and reduce spending by getting classification right.
Key Takeaway: These eight talking points are backed by DOJ findings and independent research — use them in legislative testimony, media interviews, and coalition meetings.
Important Quotes
Use these quotes directly in testimony, letters, and communications. Each is drawn from the source document.
“The U.S. Department of Justice’s October 2024 findings report — described as revealing ‘among the most severe violations’ uncovered in any DOJ prison investigation.”
— DOJ Investigation Findings section“The leadership of the Georgia Department of Corrections has lost control of its facilities.”
— DOJ Investigation Findings / The Staffing-Classification-Violence Nexus section“Classification decisions appear driven by bed availability rather than risk assessment.”
— DOJ Investigation Findings section“Near-constant life-threatening violence.”
— DOJ Investigation Findings / The Staffing-Classification-Violence Nexus section“GDC does not adequately screen, classify, or track LGBTI individuals to ensure their safety. Transgender women often housed with male inmates face heightened assault risk due to inadequate classification.”
— DOJ Investigation Findings section“State prison census has doubled since 1990 while correctional officer staffing is at only 50% of full levels. Some prisons have staffing vacancy rates exceeding 60%. At one close-security prison, a single officer was responsible for tracking 400 beds.”
— Violence Data from DOJ Report section“Gangs fill the vacuum, controlling housing units. Incarcerated people can unlock their own cells and wander at will. Classification becomes meaningless when there is no staff to enforce security boundaries.”
— The Staffing-Classification-Violence Nexus section“Women offenders are particularly affected: custody classification systems used today tend to overclassify women into higher risk categories than warranted by their behavior, increasing limitations on their freedoms and access to programming.”
— Overclassification section“Georgia Prisoners’ Speak has identified through data analysis that medium-security prisons in Georgia house close-security inmates at rates far above what would be expected — a systematic classification mismatch that places lower-risk inmates in danger and strains facilities not designed for high-risk populations.”
— Implications for Georgia Reform section“When prison officials create policies that lead to dangerous levels of understaffing and, consequently, inmate-on-inmate violence, there is a violation of the Eighth Amendment.”
— Legal Framework section (Van Riper v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc.)
Key Takeaway: These direct quotes from the DOJ and research literature provide authoritative, citable language for advocacy documents.
How to Use This in Your Advocacy
Legislative Testimony
When testifying before Georgia legislative committees — particularly the Senate and House Judiciary committees or Appropriations subcommittees — frame this research around three pillars:
- Safety: 142 people killed between 2018 and 2023. The DOJ calls it “among the most severe violations” ever found. Classification reform is literally life or death.
- Accountability: GDC reported 6 homicides in early 2024 while incident reports show at least 18. Legislators cannot rely on GDC’s own reporting. Independent oversight of classification is essential.
- Fiscal responsibility: Overclassification costs taxpayers millions. New Mexico’s overclassification cost up to $28 million per year. Georgia legislators can reduce the corrections budget while improving safety by demanding proper classification.
Open with the human cost, present the DOJ findings as federal validation of what advocates have long said, and close with the nine specific reform pathways outlined in this report.
Public Comment
During public comment periods on corrections policy, budget hearings, or Board of Corrections meetings:
- Lead with the DOJ’s explicit recommendation that GDC “reevaluate the housing and inmate classification process.”
- Cite the five-fold increase in homicides (7 to 35) and the systematic underreporting (6 reported vs. 18 actual).
- Demand public reporting of classification data, overrides, and outcomes — transparency is the first step toward accountability.
- Reference GPS’s finding that medium-security prisons house close-security individuals at rates far above expected.
Media Pitches
Reporters covering Georgia corrections, criminal justice, or state government need specific angles:
- Investigative angle: GDC’s homicide underreporting — 6 reported vs. 18 actual in early 2024. Where are the missing deaths?
- Human impact angle: What happens when people classified as dangerous are placed in facilities without adequate staff? One officer tracking 400 beds at a close-security prison.
- Follow-the-money angle: How much is Georgia spending on overclassification? Use federal cost data ($21,006 minimum vs. $33,930 high security) and New Mexico’s $28 million annual overclassification cost as comparisons.
- National context: Georgia’s violations are “among the most severe” the DOJ has ever found — what does that mean for federal intervention?
- Vulnerable populations: Transgender women housed with male inmates, women overclassified beyond what their behavior warrants.
Coalition Building
This research creates bridges between groups that don’t always work together:
- Fiscal conservatives: Overclassification wastes taxpayer money. Community supervision costs $3,433 per person per year versus $33,930 for high security.
- Civil rights organizations: LGBTI screening failures, PREA violations, and Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference claims provide legal hooks.
- Women’s advocacy groups: Systematic overclassification of women limits their access to programming and subjects them to harsher conditions than warranted.
- Public safety advocates: Underclassification — placing dangerous individuals in inadequately secured facilities — threatens everyone, including staff.
- Labor unions: Correctional officers are working in impossible conditions. One officer for 400 beds is a staff safety crisis.
Share the talking points and key statistics with coalition partners. This research demonstrates that proper classification serves everyone’s interests.
Written Communications
When writing letters to the Governor, GDC Commissioner, legislators, or the Board of Corrections:
- Reference the DOJ report by name (October 2024) and quote its finding that GDC’s violations are “among the most severe.”
- Include the homicide trajectory: 7 in 2018 → 35 in 2023 → at least 18 in just the first 5 months of 2024.
- Cite the staffing collapse: 50% of full levels, some prisons exceeding 60% vacancy.
- Name the specific reform demands: independent NGA validation, regular classification audits, elimination of bed-space overrides, LGBTI screening protocols, gender-responsive classification tools, public reporting requirements, and independent oversight.
- Close with the cost-benefit argument: proper classification reduces both violence and spending.
Key Takeaway: This research supports advocacy across every context — testimony, public comment, media, coalitions, and written communications — with DOJ-backed evidence and concrete reform demands.
Use Impact Justice AI
Need help turning this research into action? Impact Justice AI can help you generate:
- Letters to legislators incorporating these statistics and reform demands
- Testimony drafts for committee hearings on corrections budgets and policy
- Emails to officials citing DOJ findings and GPS data
- Public comment submissions for Board of Corrections meetings
- Media pitches and op-eds using the most compelling data points
- Coalition communications tailored to different audiences
Impact Justice AI draws on GPS research, DOJ reports, and other authoritative sources to help advocates craft persuasive, evidence-based communications. Visit https://impactjustice.ai to get started.
Key Takeaway: Impact Justice AI at https://impactjustice.ai helps advocates generate letters, testimony, and other materials using this research.
Key Statistics
Violence and Death
- 142 homicides in Georgia prisons between 2018 and 2023 (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- 7 homicides in 2018 → 35 homicides in 2023 — a five-fold increase (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- 5 homicides at 4 different prisons in a single month in 2023 (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- 6 homicides reported by GDC for the first 5 months of 2024, but at least 18 deaths categorized as homicides in incident reports — three times the official figure (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
Staffing Crisis
- 50% — current correctional officer staffing level as a percentage of full capacity (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- 60% — staffing vacancy rate at some Georgia prisons (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- 400 beds — the number one single officer was responsible for tracking at a close-security prison (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
- Georgia’s state prison census has doubled since 1990 while staffing has fallen to half capacity (Violence Data from DOJ Report section)
Georgia’s Classification Structure
- 7 close-security prisons in Georgia (Georgia’s Classification System — Structure section)
- 14 medium-security prisons in Georgia (Georgia’s Classification System — Structure section)
- 100-125 diagnostic individuals arrive per day at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (The Next Generation Assessment (NGA) section)
- 7-15 working days — the diagnostic classification process duration; all individuals are considered close security during this period (The Next Generation Assessment (NGA) section)
Cost of Incarceration by Security Level (Federal)
- Minimum security: $21,006 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- Low security: $25,378 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- Medium security: $26,247 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- High security: $33,930 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- Community corrections: $25,838 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- Community supervision (probation): $3,433 per person per year (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
Cost of Misclassification (New Mexico)
- $28 million per year — the cost of overclassification deviations from New Mexico’s scoring tool (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- 60% of new inmates in New Mexico (2014-2016) scored at minimum security, but only 29% were actually housed there (Case Study: New Mexico Classification Failure section)
- $11,183 — annual security cost per person in New Mexico minimum-security units (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
- $37,585 — annual security cost per person in New Mexico maximum-security units (Cost Differentials by Security Level section)
Key Takeaway: These statistics are formatted for direct use in testimony, letters, and media — copy and paste with confidence.
Read the Source Document
Other Versions
This analysis is available in multiple formats for different audiences:
- 📢 Public Version — For community members and the general public
- 🏛️ Legislator Version — For elected officials and policy staff
- 📰 Media Version — For journalists and editorial boards