For legislators, staff and reporters
GPS Briefing Room
Short video briefings on Georgia's prisons, with spoken answers to your follow-up questions. Every figure comes from the state's own records and links to its source.
Where the money goes
Georgia's prison budget
Lawmakers approved about $1.75 billion for the Department of Corrections in fiscal 2027. In fiscal 2025 the department actually spent about $1.91 billion.
Who guards Georgia's prisons
Correctional officer staffing
At the close of fiscal 2019, GDC counted 4,668 correctional officers. It ended fiscal 2025 with 2,975.
Health care behind bars
Medical, mental health and dental care in Georgia's prisons
One company, Centurion, now provides medical, mental health and dental care in Georgia's prisons, under contracts GDC pays for.
Who watches Georgia's prisons
Complaints, the ombudsman and outside oversight
GDC's ombudsman office is a unit GDC created itself. GPS found no Georgia law that creates it or governs it.
Deaths in custody
Who dies in custody, and who investigates
As of October 2026, GPS's death registry counts 333 deaths in GDC custody in 2024 and 302 in 2025.
Violence and the Justice Department findings
The federal findings and what came after
On October 1, 2024, the Justice Department announced that conditions in Georgia's prisons violate the Eighth Amendment.
Crowding and capacity
What prisons were built for and what they hold
In the late 1980s, Georgia planned a standard prison. The plan called for 500 cells, with a maximum operating capacity of 750.
Parole and time served
How Georgia decides who leaves prison early
In Georgia, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles decides parole. The Supreme Court of Georgia calls that power discretionary.
Growing old in prison
Older people: cost, health and release
At its last count, GDC tallied 12,941 people aged 50 or older in its prisons. Of those, 1,200 are 70 or older.
Prison buildings
Locks, heat and repairs in Georgia's prisons
Georgia has put money for prison lock work in budget after budget, including $84,596,895 in the amended 2026 budget.
Contraband and cellphones
Phones, arrests and the law
On the books in Georgia, a person in prison who has a cellphone without the warden's authorization has committed a felony.
Food in Georgia's prisons
Spending, kitchens and inspections
In fiscal 2027, Georgia's budget gives the Food and Farm Operations program $32.2 million.
What other states do
Earned time, sentence review, Nordic release
At least 42 states give sentence credits. In 34, earned-time laws reward work or programs.
How it works
Watch the intro, then ask a question by typing or tapping Talk. If a short video answers it, the video plays. If not, the guide answers in a few sentences from the same verified figures, and the sources appear under the answer.
Answers come from GPS's verified figures and the state's own documents; each figure links to its source. This is an AI guide, and questions are kept as text without names to improve it. No audio is kept.