Leo Alexander

Leo has been writing for 20+ years. He’s an avid scuba diver and science junkie. He teaches math and science.

Georgia’s Corrections Spending vs Public Safety: A Costly Imbalance

Georgia’s Costly Corrections System: Billions Spent, Average Safety Returns

Georgia incarcerates more of its citizens than any democratic nation on Earth, with an incarceration rate of 881 per 100,000 people. Since 1970, the state has seen a staggering 671% increase in its prison population.

Despite pouring over $35 billion into its corrections system since 2000—with annual spending set to reach nearly $1.9 billion in 2025—Georgia’s public safety outcomes remain average. The state ranks just 20th nationally in crime statistics, with violent crime rates only slightly below national averages.

One in every eighteen Georgia adults is under some form of correctional supervision—73% higher than Pennsylvania, the state with the second-highest rate. 1 in 7 adults in Georgia currently have a felony conviction. This massive investment in incarceration has failed to deliver exceptional safety results, while many states with dramatically lower imprisonment rates achieved better crime statistics.

Is Georgia wasting billions on a corrections approach that doesn’t work?

A Tale of Two Prisons: What Georgia Can Learn from Norway

Georgia’s prisons breed fear and violence, trapping inmates in cycles of despair. Norway, however, offers humane conditions and genuine rehabilitation—proving that dignity, compassion, and investment in prisoners lead to safer communities and drastically lower recidivism. Georgia has a chance to choose a better path.

THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE: INSIDE GEORGIA’S DEADLY PRISON CRISIS

In 2024, 330 people died in Georgia prisons—nearly 100 by homicide. Already in 2025, 33 more lives have been lost. Behind these statistics are human beings trapped in a system the Department of Justice has declared unconstitutional, where cells designed for two hold three, gangs control housing units, and staff vacancy rates exceed 70%.

Georgia Prisoners’ Speak brings you this exclusive investigation into the deadly conditions, deliberate cover-ups, and human stories behind the crisis in Georgia’s Department of Corrections.

The Felon Train: How Georgia Turns Citizens into Convicts

“One in seven adults in Georgia is a felon. Do you really believe over a million people are just criminals? No. This system is rigged to keep the prisons full.”

Georgia’s justice system isn’t about justice—it’s about control. It’s about turning everyday people into lifelong convicts, feeding a machine built to profit from mass incarceration. People like Wayne Key, who spent a decade behind bars—not for violence, not for endangering others, but for the same substances now sold legally on every street corner.

The Felon Train isn’t just real—it’s running full speed, and once you’re on it, there’s almost no way off. Overcharging, forced plea deals, probation traps, and a parole board that answers to no one—it’s all designed to keep Georgia’s prisons full and its citizens powerless.

If you think this can’t happen to you, think again.

Rooting Phones: A Prisoner’s Guide

In Georgia’s prisons, cell phone access has become a vital lifeline for inmates seeking to communicate, report abuse, and even safeguard their health. Yet the Georgia Department of Corrections is aggressively implementing Managed Access Systems (MAS) designed to shut down unauthorized devices and silence dissent. For those determined to bypass these restrictions, rooting a phone can be a game‑changer.

Rooting essentially unlocks the full potential of your device, giving you the power to disable or circumvent MAS protocols. Among the myriad Android devices available, unlocked Google Pixel and OnePlus models stand out as the easiest to root—thanks to their openly available bootloader unlock options, robust developer support, and minimal bloatware. By contrast, Samsung phones, particularly carrier-locked U.S. models, remain notoriously difficult to root due to permanent bootloader locks and advanced security features like Knox.

This guide lays out step‑by‑step methods tailored for inmates using tools available on devices like the JP5 or JP6 tablets running Ubuntu Linux 14.04. With these instructions, you’ll learn how to transform a Pixel or OnePlus phone into a powerful tool to defeat the MAS systems, restore your communication rights, and reclaim a measure of autonomy in a system designed to silence you.

Georgia’s Cell Phone Crackdown: Security or Silence?

Georgia is blocking cell phones in prisons—but at what cost? Cutting off communication won’t stop gangs, but it will silence whistleblowers, fuel violence, and hide corruption. Is this about security or control? Demand transparency before it’s too late! #PrisonReform #Justice

Punishment for Profit: How Georgia’s Justice System Makes Millions

In Georgia, being poor, mentally ill, or struggling with addiction isn’t just hard—it’s a crime. Instead of offering help, the justice system funnels thousands into prison for minor offenses, all while private companies and politicians profit. It’s not about safety—it’s about money.

Left for Dead: The Tragic Story of Jamie Shahan

Jamie Shahan was sentenced to five years, but at Washington State Prison, his punishment became a death sentence in everything but name. Beaten, hospitalized, and left on life support—his mother fights for answers while the prison covers its tracks. How much more suffering will Georgia’s prison system ignore?