Georgia Is Building America’s First Centralized Prison Surveillance System — Here’s How Advocates Can Respond

Why This Research Matters for Advocacy

Georgia is quietly constructing the most comprehensive centralized prison surveillance system in the United States — the Overwatch & Logistic (OWL) Unit Command Center — and no civil liberties organization has publicly addressed it by name. This research, compiled by Georgia Prisoners’ Speak and The GDC Accountability Project, represents the first comprehensive reconstruction of OWL’s scope, cost, and implications from public records.

This matters for advocacy right now because:

• The system is under construction. The window for public input, legislative oversight, and legal challenge is open but narrowing. Once operational, challenging an entrenched surveillance infrastructure becomes exponentially harder.
• The funding is actively moving through the legislature. OWL-related appropriations span three fiscal years (AFY2025, FY2026, FY2027), with new budget lines still being proposed. Advocates can intervene in the FY2027 budget process and future appropriations cycles.
• The DOJ investigation creates leverage. Georgia-specific organizations are rightly focused on the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into conditions of confinement. But this research reveals that the state’s response to its own crisis is to invest massively in surveillance rather than the services, staffing, and programming that would actually address the conditions DOJ is investigating.
• The spending disparity is indefensible. Georgia allocated $50 million for technology and security improvements in FY2026 but only $805,000 for vocational education programs — a 62:1 ratio that reveals the state’s true priorities.
• No other state has built anything comparable. Georgia is setting a national precedent. If this system goes unchallenged, it becomes the template for prison surveillance everywhere. What happens in Georgia will shape corrections policy nationally.
• Defense contractors are entering domestic corrections. The radar technology at the heart of OWL comes from a joint venture between a Leidos subsidiary and Alabama Power Company — a defense contractor and a utility company profiting from surveilling incarcerated people and surrounding communities.

This research gives advocates the evidence they need to demand transparency, challenge appropriations, and insist that Georgia invest in people rather than panopticons.

Key Takeaway: Georgia is building the nation’s first centralized prison surveillance command center with over $150 million in technology spending, and the window for advocacy intervention is still open.

Talking Points

1. Georgia is building the first centralized prison surveillance system in America — and no one voted on it. The OWL Unit Command Center integrates drone detection radar, cell phone interdiction across 35 prisons, statewide camera feeds, body cameras, digital mail scanning, and corrections-grade WiFi into a single command hub. No other state operates anything comparable, yet the system was never announced in a press conference or press release.

2. The state has dedicated at least $17.8 million to OWL, but the system it commands represents well over $150 million in technology spending. By distributing funding across three fiscal years and multiple budget bills, Georgia has made it nearly impossible for the public or legislators to see the true scope of this investment.

3. Georgia spends 62 times more on surveillance than on vocational education for incarcerated people. The FY2026 budget allocated $50 million for technology and security improvements but only $805,000 for vocational education programs. This tells you everything about the state’s priorities.

4. Military-grade radar deployed at Georgia prisons can track people and vehicles up to 15 km away — far beyond prison walls into surrounding communities. The GroundAware radar, manufactured by a Leidos subsidiary, surveys approximately 2,000 acres per unit, encompassing significant civilian territory around prison facilities that received no notice or input from affected communities.

5. The same companies that charge families for phone calls and tablets are profiting from the surveillance infrastructure. Securus Technologies, which extracts revenue from incarcerated people’s families for communication services, also deployed the drone detection system and is positioned to benefit from multiple OWL technology streams.

6. Not a single civil liberties organization has publicly addressed OWL by name. Despite the system’s unprecedented scope, the ACLU of Georgia, Southern Center for Human Rights, Southern Poverty Law Center, Georgia Justice Project, and Electronic Frontier Foundation have issued no statements, filed no legal challenges, and published no policy analyses about the integrated command center.

7. A $420,216 federal grant seeded a surveillance system that has grown to over $150 million. A Bureau of Justice Assistance grant funded the initial radar deployment at Baldwin State Prison. That modest investment catalyzed a statewide surveillance infrastructure that Georgia taxpayers are now funding at massive scale.

8. The GDC budget has increased 44% since FY2022, yet conditions remain dangerous enough to warrant a DOJ investigation. Pouring hundreds of millions into surveillance technology while people inside Georgia’s prisons face violence, understaffing, and medical neglect is not public safety — it is institutional failure dressed up as innovation.

Important Quotes

These quotes are extracted directly from the source document and can be cited in advocacy materials:

“An exhaustive search of all 50 state DOC systems and the Federal Bureau of Prisons found no operational equivalent to Georgia’s OWL Unit Command Center.”
— Section: “No other state has built anything like this”

“[Body cameras and tasers] will be linked to an Over Watch Logistics Unit (OWL), funded at $7.2 million, that will continuously monitor security cameras across the state, enabling a rapid response to disturbances.”
— State Representative Dale Washburn, March 2025 legislative recap of HB 67

“Despite the system’s unprecedented scope, no civil liberties organization has publicly addressed Georgia’s OWL Unit by name.”
— Section: “A civil liberties blind spot”

“Tallied across known appropriations, the OWL Unit itself accounts for roughly $17.8 million over three fiscal years. But the system it commands — managed access, drone detection, cameras, body cameras, tablets, mail screening, the Data Intelligence platform — represents well over $150 million in technology spending.”
— Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”

“The FY2026 budget allocated $50 million for technology and security improvements but only $805,000 for vocational education programs.”
— Section: “A civil liberties blind spot” (citing Georgia Budget and Policy Institute)

“The $35 million managed access investment — the single largest technology line item — supports cell phone interdiction systems now covering all 35 of Georgia’s operational state prisons.”
— Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”

“[Fusus] really encourages the adoption of additional surveillance tools” and real-time crime centers are “a gateway” to expanded surveillance.”
— Electronic Frontier Foundation, cited in Section: “A civil liberties blind spot”

Commissioner Tyrone Oliver explicitly paired OWL with Fusus: “the Over Watch and Logistics Unit (and Fusus).”
— Board of Corrections meeting, April 3, 2025

Key Takeaway: These direct quotes from official documents and public statements provide advocates with citable evidence of OWL’s scope, cost, and the absence of oversight.

How to Use This in Your Advocacy

Legislative Testimony

When testifying before appropriations committees or criminal justice committees:

• Lead with the spending disparity. The $50 million for technology versus $805,000 for vocational education is the most powerful single data point in this research. It is easily understood, emotionally resonant, and factually unassailable.
• Name the total cost. Legislators may have voted on individual line items without understanding they were building a $150 million+ integrated surveillance system. Walk them through how funding was distributed across AFY2025, FY2026, and FY2027 to obscure the total investment.
• Demand transparency. Ask: Where is the OWL Command Center being built? Which vendors received the $35 million managed access contract? What data governance policies exist? What community notice was given before deploying radar that monitors civilian territory?
• Invoke the DOJ investigation. Georgia is under federal investigation for conditions of confinement. Frame OWL as evidence that the state’s response to its own failures is to build a surveillance apparatus rather than invest in the services and conditions that would actually address the crisis.
• Use the national comparison. No other state has built anything like this. Tennessee’s closest equivalent is a $5 million proposal that hasn’t left the planning stage. Georgia is setting a precedent with no public debate.

Public Comment

During public comment periods on corrections budgets or surveillance policies:

• Focus on the community surveillance dimension — radar systems with ranges up to 15 km monitor thousands of acres of civilian territory around each prison facility.
• Emphasize the lack of public notice or consent for communities surrounding prison facilities.
• Highlight that the same companies extracting revenue from families through phone and tablet charges are building the surveillance infrastructure.
• Note that digital mail scanning creates permanent archives of all correspondence, raising serious First Amendment concerns.

Media Pitches

This research supports several strong media angles:

• “Georgia is building America’s first prison panopticon — and nobody knows about it.” The fact that no civil liberties organization, no media outlet, and no legislative body has publicly examined OWL by name is itself the story.
• “Defense contractors bring military radar to Georgia prisons.” A Leidos subsidiary and Alabama Power Company joint venture are deploying military-grade radar at domestic prisons, monitoring surrounding communities without public notice.
• “$50 million for surveillance, $805,000 for education.” The spending ratio tells a story about Georgia’s vision for its prison system.
• “Three obscure companies control Georgia’s $35 million cell phone interdiction system.” Trace-Tek operates from a single-page GoDaddy website. Hawks Ear Communications has no public website. Yet together they hold contracts covering all 35 state prisons.
• “The surveillance system Georgia built to avoid scrutiny.” Funding distributed across three fiscal years and multiple budget bills to prevent anyone from seeing the total cost.

Coalition Building

Use this research to build alliances with:

• Privacy and digital rights organizations (EFF, ACLU) who have documented concerns about Fusus and real-time crime centers but haven’t yet connected them to Georgia’s corrections deployment.
• Environmental justice organizations working in rural Georgia counties where prison radar monitors predominantly Black communities.
• Family advocacy groups who understand that mail scanning, phone interdiction, and communication surveillance directly affect families’ ability to maintain relationships.
• Fiscal conservatives concerned about a 44% increase in corrections spending and $150 million+ in technology investment with no demonstrated impact on safety outcomes.
• Organizations focused on the DOJ investigation — position this research as evidence that Georgia is investing in control rather than the reforms the federal investigation demands.

Written Communications

When writing to legislators, officials, or media:

• Always cite specific dollar amounts with their fiscal year and budget bill (e.g., “$35,027,675 for managed access and drone detection in AFY2025 via HB 67”).
• Reference the Board of Corrections meeting minutes by date (September 4, 2025; April 3, 2025) as primary sources.
• Note that the OWL Command Center “was never announced in a press conference or press release” and “does not appear on GDC’s public-facing website.”
• Include the 62:1 surveillance-to-education spending ratio.
• Close with specific demands: independent oversight, public disclosure of vendor contracts, community notification requirements, data governance policies, and rebalancing of investment toward rehabilitation and programming.

Key Takeaway: This research provides ready-made evidence for every advocacy context — from legislative testimony to media pitches to coalition building.

Use Impact Justice AI

Need help turning this research into action? Impact Justice AI can help you:

• Draft legislative testimony using the statistics and quotes from this research
• Generate letters to elected officials demanding transparency and oversight of OWL
• Create public comment submissions for budget hearings and policy proceedings
• Write media pitches tailored to local, state, and national outlets
• Develop coalition outreach materials to engage new partners
• Compose Open Records Act requests targeting the gaps identified in this research

Impact Justice AI draws on GPS research and other criminal justice data to help advocates create professional, evidence-based communications. Visit https://impactjustice.ai to get started.

Key Takeaway: Impact Justice AI at impactjustice.ai can help advocates generate testimony, letters, and advocacy materials using this research.

Key Statistics

Total System Cost

• $17.8 million — Direct OWL Unit funding across three fiscal years (AFY2025, FY2026, FY2027) | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $150 million+ — Total technology spending on systems commanded by OWL (managed access, drone detection, cameras, body cameras, tablets, mail screening, Data Intelligence platform) | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $600 million-plus — Broader corrections investment package within which OWL is embedded | Opening paragraph
• $84.6 million — AFY2026 appropriation for thermal cameras, CCTVs, and perimeter security statewide — the camera infrastructure Fusus aggregates into OWL | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”

Major Line Items

• $35,027,675 — AFY2025 appropriation for managed access and drone detection (single largest technology line item) | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $7.2 million — AFY2025 funding for the OWL Unit itself | Section: “The command center will watch every Georgia prison simultaneously”
• $7,224,150 — AFY2025 appropriation for body cameras and tasers | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $3,805,472 — FY2026 appropriation for OWL Unit personnel and ongoing technology fees | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $5,521,230 — FY2027 proposed funding for additional OWL technology costs | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”
• $345.9 million — Total new GDC funding in Amended FY2025 (HB 67) | Section: “The money trail spans three fiscal years and multiple budget bills”

Spending Priorities

• $50 million — FY2026 appropriation for technology and security improvements | Section: “A civil liberties blind spot”
• $805,000 — FY2026 appropriation for vocational education programs | Section: “A civil liberties blind spot”
• 44% — Increase in GDC spending from FY2022 to FY2026 | Research Brief section 3.1

Surveillance Reach

• 35 prisons — Georgia operational state prisons covered by managed access cell phone interdiction | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”
• 2,000 acres — Approximate surveillance area of a single GroundAware radar unit | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant and an Alabama Power joint venture”
• 5+ km — Drone detection range of GroundAware GA9000 radar | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant and an Alabama Power joint venture”
• 8 times per second — Radar target data update rate | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant and an Alabama Power joint venture”

Vendors and Contracts

• 28 facilities — Georgia prisons where Trace-Tek LLC holds managed access agreements | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”
• 86% — Share of nationwide FCC CIS licenses held by ShawnTech/Trace-Tek | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”
• 4 facilities — Georgia prisons where CellBlox (Securus subsidiary) operates managed access | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”
• 3 facilities — Georgia prisons where Hawks Ear Communications operates managed access | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”
• $40 million — Securus investment in managed access technology acquisitions | Section: “Three obscure vendors split Georgia’s managed access market”

Operation Skyhawk Results

• 150 arrests — Total arrests from Operation Skyhawk (March 2024) | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”
• 8 correctional officers — GDC staff arrested in Operation Skyhawk | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”
• 87 drones confiscated | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”
• 273 cell phones confiscated | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”
• 22 weapons confiscated | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”

National Comparison

• $5 million — Tennessee’s proposed budget for its closest equivalent (still at proposal stage) | Section: “No other state has built anything like this”
• $420,216 — Federal grant that seeded OWL’s radar deployment at Baldwin State Prison | Section: “OWL’s radar origins trace to a federal grant”

Key Takeaway: Georgia has invested over $150 million in surveillance technology commanded by OWL while spending only $805,000 on vocational education — a 62:1 ratio.

Read the Source Document

Read the full investigation: Georgia’s prison panopticon takes shape behind closed doors (PDF)

This document was produced by Georgia Prisoners’ Speak and The GDC Accountability Project, published March 4, 2026.

Other Versions

This analysis is also available in versions tailored for different audiences:

• Public Version — Accessible overview for general audiences and community members
• Legislator Version — Policy brief formatted for elected officials and legislative staff
• Media Version — Press-ready summary with story angles and key data points