From Convict Leasing to Prison Labor: How Georgia Profits from Forced Work
Georgia has forced people in prison to work for free for 150+ years. The state makes $64 million a year. Most workers get $0.
Research Explainers
Public-facing research explainers for families and the general public.
Georgia’s 4-Year Deadline Is Trapping Innocent People in Prison
Georgia’s 4-year habeas deadline traps innocent people in prison. Every recent exoneration took far longer. The law may violate the Constitution.
The Hidden Family Tax: How Prison Systems Force Families to Pay Billions
Families of people in prison pay nearly $350 billion a year. Women and Black families bear the heaviest burden. This report explains how the system works.
Brown v. Plata: How Courts Forced California to Reduce Its Prison Population — And What It Means for Georgia
The Supreme Court ordered California to cut its prison population by 46,000 because crowding killed people. Georgia faces similar problems today.
When People Die in Prison, the State Hides the Truth: How Death Data Gets Lost, Mislabeled, and Covered Up
Thousands of prison deaths go uncounted. Georgia mislabeled at least 44. Only one state reports death data fully. Here’s what families need to know.
Drugs Are Flooding Georgia’s Prisons — And People Are Dying
At least 49 people died of drug overdoses in Georgia prisons from 2019-2022. The state hid 44 of those deaths by mislabeling the cause.
Most of Georgia Has No Way to Fix Wrongful Convictions — Here’s Why That Must Change
Only 3 of Georgia’s 159 counties can check for wrongful convictions. The other 156 have no team and no process. Here’s why that must change.
About 2,500 Innocent People Are Locked Up in Georgia Prisons Right Now
Studies say about 2,500 innocent people are locked up in Georgia prisons. Since 1989, only 51 have been cleared — losing 610 years combined.
Georgia Pays People in Prison Nothing for Their Work — Then Charges Their Families for Basic Needs
Georgia pays people in prison nothing for their labor, then charges families inflated prices for basic needs. A GPS investigation maps the full scope of this extraction.
Broken Sorting: How Georgia’s Prison Classification Failures Are Getting People Killed
Georgia’s prison sorting system is broken. 142 people killed in 6 years. Half of guard jobs empty. The DOJ calls it among the worst it has ever seen.