Basis matters. Bars through FY2025 are actual (audited, realized) spending; FY2026 is the amended and FY2027 the approved appropriation — plans, not money spent. The true spending peak is FY2025 actual, $1,913,888,054, higher than the FY2027 approved figure ($1,745,523,999) often cited as a “record.” Since the FY2021 baseline of $1.22B, Georgia has appropriated/spent $2,352,346,184 above baseline across FY2022–FY2027. Source: Governor’s Budget Reports, GA Office of Planning & Budget. Verify: /wp-json/gps-budget-data/v1/history.
Budget Analysis
GDC Budget: FY 2026–2027
Georgia allocates $1.8 billion annually to its Department of Corrections. Here’s exactly where the money goes — and what it reveals about the state’s priorities.
The FY 2027 figures on this page are from HB 974, the budget the legislature passed and the Governor signed on May 12, 2026 (conference committee report, April 2, 2026). It appropriates $1,745,523,999 in total funds. Where the final budget differs from what the Governor asked for, the card shows both. The FY 2026 figures are the Governor’s amended FY 2026 recommendations, from the Governor’s Budget Report. When he signed it, the Governor withheld $3,760,941 and told GDC to put the health contract increases toward existing contract obligations first, and the bed money toward making fuller use of the beds it has.
Total Budget Overview
The full GDC appropriation across all fund sources. Georgia’s prison system is one of the largest budget items in state government.
Total GDC Budget FY Comparison
Amended FY 2026$1,799,204,979
FY 2027 Governor’s proposal$1,778,839,635
FY 2027 approved (HB 974)$1,745,523,999
FY 2026 increase over original+$87,137,031
More than 50,000 offenders serve prison sentences under GDC administration.
98.5% of the GDC budget comes from state taxpayers. The new Opioid Settlement Trust Fund ($8.6M) shifts substance abuse costs off the General Fund.
The hidden tax on families: The $14.9 million in “Agency Funds” comes primarily from commissary sales and service fees — revenue extracted from incarcerated people and their families through inflated prices on basic necessities. Families already paying for phone calls, visitation travel, and lost income are forced to subsidize the very system that warehouses their loved ones. GDC profits from the people it fails to rehabilitate.
Page 151
Budget Allocation by Program Amended FY 2026
State Prisons$938.7M (52.2%)
Health Program$417.3M (23.2%)
Private Prisons$173.5M (9.6%)
Other Programs$269.7M (15.0%)
Over half the budget goes to operating state prisons. Health spending is the fastest-growing category.
Historical Expenditures Actuals
FY 2010 — All Fund Sources$1,078,000,000
FY 2020 — All Fund Sources$1,226,000,000
FY 2024 — All Fund Sources$1,526,654,104
FY 2025 — All Fund Sources$1,913,888,054
FY 2027 — Approved (HB 974)$1,745,523,999
GDC spending grew 62% from FY 2010 to FY 2027 ($1.08B to $1.75B). FY 2025 spiked to $1.91B, the highest ever, before the approved FY 2027 budget came in at $1.75B.
Healthcare is the fastest-growing line item in the GDC budget. Despite massive spending increases, incarcerated people continue to report delayed and inadequate care.
FY 2027 Governor’s request (per diem $23.6M + beds $24.3M)+$47,880,895
The final budget gave $38.5 million for the per diem increase and the new beds together, $9.4 million less than the Governor asked for. It does not say how the money splits between the two.
Pages 146, 148; FY 2027 figures unchanged in HB 974 conference committee report, p. 46
Food Services at Modular Units
FY 2026 (4 modular units)+$182,375
FY 2027 (4 modular units)+$364,749
Pages 146, 148
State Prisons Program
The largest single program in the GDC budget. Covers staffing, operations, security, and programming at state-run facilities.
Total State Prisons Budget Comparison
Amended FY 2026$938,705,499
FY 2027 (HB 974)$878,105,927
FY 2026 total increase+$36,746,804
FY 2027 total change-$23,852,768
Most of the drop is not a cut to prison operations. The final budget moved $50 million for major repairs and renovations to state bonds, and a lower State Health Benefit Plan rate saved $28.4 million.
FY 2027 adds almost six times as much for new officers as FY 2026, a sign of how deep the staffing crisis runs. The final budget did not fund a $2,000 officer pay raise for FY 2027.
The Health Benefit rate dropped 9.2 percentage points — a significant cost savings for the state.
Pages 147, 148
Private Prisons
Georgia pays for-profit companies to operate prison facilities. The state is expanding private capacity even as overall population remains relatively stable.
Total Private Prisons Budget Comparison
Amended FY 2026$173,540,164
FY 2027 (HB 974)$176,756,105
Private prison spending grows while the state is simultaneously spending billions on its own facilities.
Payments to county jails housing state inmates awaiting transfer — a direct cost of the jail backlog crisis.
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Education, Programming & Infrastructure
Investments in rehabilitation, reentry, and facility operations. These items collectively receive a fraction of what security and surveillance receive.
Education & Accreditation
FY 2026 high school diploma staff$93,672
FY 2027 high school diploma program (HB 974)-$104,000
FY 2026 Autry peer-led pilot$150,000
The Governor asked for $953,033 to staff an accredited high school diploma program. The final budget did not fund it. It cut the program by $104,000 and told GDC to explore virtual high school options.
FY 2027 figures: HB 974 as passed, conference committee report, April 2, 2026 (pages 44–48). FY 2026 figures and the page numbers on each card: the Governor’s Budget Report, Fiscal Year 2027, Georgia Department of Corrections section (pages 145–152), which gives the Governor’s recommendations.