Editorial: Making Georgia’s prisons safer for workers, inmates and communities – AJC.com

The reports and books on prison reform could fill a small library, so it seems odd to offer to the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Georgia Legislature and the governor suggestions on how to improve conditions within our state’s prisons. Surely, they’ve heard it all before, including from us, time and time again. Advocates have been calling for reforms for years. For decades.

But nothing is getting better — or not much is. Safe and secure prisons are necessary for a safe and secure Georgia. Safe and secure prisons cost less and do less harm to society. And safe inmates who have received adequate health care, appropriate mental health services, rehabilitative services and job training are more likely to reenter society successfully. That’s a goal every Georgian should support.