Georgia has the highest correctional control rate per capita in the nation. 22% of parolees were reincarcerated in 2015—often for missing curfew or failing a drug test. 80% of people serving life sentences for crimes committed as minors are Black. The parole board operates with unchecked discretion, no transparency, and no accountability. Georgia’s parole system doesn’t reduce incarceration—it perpetuates it. 1
A System Designed to Fail
Georgia’s parole system fails at every level:
- 22% reincarceration rate—for technical violations, not new crimes
- 900 people serving life—for crimes committed as minors
- Opaque decision-making—families can’t understand denials
- No appeal process—arbitrary decisions are final
The board can revoke parole grants before release “in the public interest”—with no explanation required.
Racial Disparities
The system’s failures fall disproportionately on Black Georgians:
- 80% of life sentences for minors—imposed on Black individuals
- Harsher penalties for youth—contradicting rehabilitation science
- Community supervision burden—over 450,000 people on parole or probation
- Technical violations—trap people in endless cycles
The Sentencing Project documents how Georgia imposes some of the harshest penalties for young people—ignoring the cognitive and emotional development that changes outcomes.
The Human Cost
Families bear the burden of an arbitrary system:
- Years of uncertainty—tentative parole dates that mean nothing
- No information—decisions made behind closed doors
- Financial devastation—preparing for releases that never happen
- Emotional trauma—hope repeatedly destroyed
The parole board’s discretionary power creates chaos for families trying to plan for reunification.
What Reform Requires
Meaningful parole reform includes:
- Transparent criteria—clear standards for parole decisions
- Focus on rehabilitation—program completion over original offense
- Diverse board membership—include reform advocates and formerly incarcerated people
- Presumptive parole—release is the default for eligible inmates
States that reformed parole saw crime rates drop, not rise. Evidence-based policy works.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding parole reform in Georgia. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Demand:
- Transparent parole decision criteria
- End reincarceration for technical violations
- Reform of juvenile life sentences
- Diverse parole board membership
Further Reading
- Parole in Name Only: The Hidden Failures of Georgia’s Justice System
- The Fight for Decarceration: Georgia’s Path to Prison Reform
- 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.
- GPS Statistics, https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/[↩]