Incarceration doesn’t punish one person. It traumatizes an entire family. Nearly 200,000 Georgia children have an incarcerated parent. They face anxiety, depression, and chronic stress—not for anything they did, but because Georgia chose to imprison their parent in conditions the Department of Justice found unconstitutional. When a parent enters Georgia’s violent, neglectful prison system, the family left behind suffers too. 1
The Mental Health Toll
Families of incarcerated people face psychological burdens most people never experience:
- Constant anxiety — Knowing your loved one is in a system where 100+ homicides occurred in 2024
- Depression — From prolonged separation with no end date in sight
- Chronic stress — Managing financial survival while maintaining family connections
- Fear of retaliation — Worrying that speaking out will make things worse inside
- Anticipatory grief — The mortality rate means fearing every phone call
Georgia’s prisons make these burdens heavier. Families don’t just worry about their loved one being in prison—they worry about whether that person will survive Georgia’s prisons.
Impact on Children
Children with incarcerated parents show measurable damage:
Behavioral Effects:
- Increased aggression at home and school
- Withdrawal from activities they once enjoyed
- Emotional swings that disrupt daily life
- Sleep problems including nightmares
Academic Effects:
- Declining grades after a parent’s incarceration
- Frequent absences
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lower graduation rates—64% vs. 85% national average
Social Effects:
- Stigma and bullying from peers
- Loss of friendships due to relocations
- Social isolation and shame
These children committed no crime. Georgia’s incarceration policies punish them anyway.
The Financial Strain
Georgia extracts money from families already struggling:
- $200-300 monthly for phone calls
- $100-200 monthly for commissary
- $150-250 monthly for visitation travel
- Lost income from the incarcerated family member
- Legal fees that deplete savings
Families choose between staying connected and paying rent. Either choice damages mental health—isolation harms everyone, and poverty creates its own trauma.
Georgia Makes It Worse
Other states provide support Georgia refuses:
- Free video visitation — Georgia charges for connection
- Child-friendly visiting areas — Georgia offers stress-inducing environments
- Family counseling — Georgia provides minimal support
- Transportation assistance — Families drive hours at their own expense
The state profits from family pain while providing nothing to reduce it.
Resources for Families
- Facilities Directory — Information on every Georgia facility
- Mortality Database — If you’ve lost someone in custody
- Report Conditions — Share what you’re experiencing
- Informational Resources — Guides and information for families
- Pathways to Success — Reentry and support resources
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding family-friendly reforms. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Demand:
- Free video visitation to maintain family bonds
- Child-friendly visiting areas
- Mental health services for families
- End financial extraction from struggling families
Further Reading
- Families Left Behind: The Forgotten Victims of Georgia’s Prison System
- Record Every Call: How to Expose Contempt and Abuse
- GPS Informational Resources
- Pathways to Success
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.
- GPS Statistics, https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/[↩]