Georgia spends $3,600 per inmate annually on healthcare—ranking 44th nationally. The results are predictable: 1,682 people have died in Georgia’s prisons since 2020. While California reduced prison mortality by 50% under federal court supervision, Georgia’s death rate remains 70% higher than the national state prison average. 1
The comparison isn’t flattering. It’s damning.
Georgia: The Managed Care Disaster
Georgia contracts prison healthcare to private companies—first Wellpath, now transitioning to Centurion. The model is simple: the state pays a fixed amount per inmate. Every dollar spent on actual care comes out of the contractor’s profit margin.
The predictable result:
- 40% of inmates with mental health diagnoses receive minimal treatment
- Medical copays discourage seeking care until conditions become critical
- Chronic diseases go unmanaged until hospitalization or death
- Early contract terminations signal dysfunction the state won’t publicly address
GPS has documented case after case of delayed care, denied medications, and preventable deaths. The Department of Justice found that Georgia’s medical care “fails to meet prisoners’ serious medical needs.” 2 The state’s response? Continued denial.
California: What Federal Oversight Accomplished
California’s prison healthcare was once as catastrophic as Georgia’s. The difference: federal courts intervened. Since 2001, California has operated under court supervision. The system was forced to change.
Results:
- 50% reduction in inmate mortality rates (2006-2019)
- $3 billion annual budget for approximately 114,000 prisoners
- Telemedicine expansion reducing delays for specialist care
- Multidisciplinary mental health teams addressing the 63% treatment gap
California didn’t reform voluntarily. Courts mandated change after finding the healthcare system constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The state resisted—then mortality rates fell by half.
Texas: University Partnerships That Work
Texas took a different approach: partnering with university health systems. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center provide care with academic oversight and research accountability.
The model brings:
- 60% of facilities NCCHC-accredited (National Commission on Correctional Health Care)
- Specialized treatment units for complex medical needs
- Research programs that incentivize innovation over cost-cutting
- $1.3 billion budget for 143,000 inmates
Texas still has problems—37% of inmates with mental illness face coverage gaps. But the university model creates accountability that private contractors lack.
The Georgia Numbers
| State | Healthcare Spending/Inmate | Model | Recent Mortality Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $3,600 | Private contract (Centurion) | ↑ Rising (70% above national average) |
| California | ~$26,000 | Court-supervised state system | ↓ 50% reduction |
| Texas | ~$9,000 | University partnerships | → Stable |
Georgia’s approach—spending less, expecting more, and hiding the results—produces exactly what the numbers show: people dying at rates far exceeding other states.
What GPS Has Documented
Our mortality database contains 1,682 deaths since 2020. 3 The patterns are clear:
- Average age at death: 52.1 years—decades younger than Georgia’s life expectancy
- Chronic diseases appearing repeatedly in death records: heart disease, diabetes, cancer diagnosed too late
- Medical facilities like Augusta State Med. Prison processing death after death
- Families reporting loved ones begging for care that never came
The Department of Justice found systematic failures. GPS continues to document them.
What Georgia Refuses to Adopt
California and Texas demonstrate viable alternatives:
- Federal court oversight — California’s mortality dropped 50% under supervision. Georgia faces DOJ findings that could trigger similar intervention.
- University partnerships — Georgia has Emory, Augusta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. None are contracted to provide prison healthcare.
- Telemedicine expansion — Rural facilities could access specialists without transport delays. Georgia hasn’t invested.
- Mental health protocols — California’s multidisciplinary teams address what Georgia ignores: the 40% with untreated mental illness.
- Elimination of medical copays — Discouraging care until conditions become emergencies costs more in the long run.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Georgia’s $3,600-per-inmate healthcare spending looks cheap until you count the hospitalizations, the lawsuits, the deaths. Preventing conditions costs less than treating crises. California learned this under court order.
Georgia’s current path—private contracts with minimal oversight, inadequate spending, and systematic denial—produces the outcomes GPS documents daily. Other states prove alternatives exist. Georgia’s leadership chooses not to implement them.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails to Georgia lawmakers and oversight agencies about medical neglect. The free tool crafts personalized messages—no experience required.
If someone you know is being denied medical care in a Georgia facility:
- Document everything — dates, symptoms, requests made, responses received
- File formal grievances — create the paper trail courts require
- Report to GPS — we track patterns across the system and share with investigators
- Contact the DOJ — their investigation is ongoing; your information matters
The deaths in Georgia’s prisons aren’t accidents. They’re policy choices. Other states chose differently and people lived.
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.
