Latest GDC News

A federal judge ruled that conditions on the Farm Line at Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), where incarcerated workers are forced to labor in extreme heat for as little as zero to four cents an hour, violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, citing a recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="A Court Found Conditions at Louisiana’s Prison Farm Unconstitutional. It Let Them Continue Anyway." class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10907" aria-label="Read more about A Court Found Conditions at Louisiana’s Prison Farm Unconstitutional. It Let Them Continue Anyway.">Read more</a></p>

A recent article highlights the push for Adrienne’s Act in California, which would mandate cooling systems and heat-relief protocols in state prisons following the 2024 heat-related death of incarcerated woman Adrienne Boulware. The bill, which has passed committee stages, would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to implement plans for cooled living quarters, ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Families of Victims Who Died From Heat in Prison Fight to Prevent More Deaths" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10892" aria-label="Read more about Families of Victims Who Died From Heat in Prison Fight to Prevent More Deaths">Read more</a></p>

Voices Donald Tong / Pexels Nick Hacheney, Tomas KeenMay 20, 2025 Share Copy Link Email Facebook Twitter Bluesky WhatsApp Reddit LinkedIn Jerry stormed into his cell, shaking with rage. He threw his coat and gloves in a pile on his bunk and looked around for something to smash. It’s futile, and he knows it. The ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Broken Buildings, Broken People" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/broken-buildings-broken-people/#more-6640" aria-label="Read more about Broken Buildings, Broken People">Read more</a></p>

Fifaliana Joy via Pixabay Antoine Davis, Christopher BlackwellMay 07, 2025 Share Copy Link Email Facebook Twitter Bluesky WhatsApp Reddit LinkedIn In 1978, the Oscar-winning documentary “Scared Straight!” popularized the idea that the best way to prevent young people from incarceration is to scare them. The film focuses on a group of “juvenile delinquents” who get ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Imprisoned People Can Do More than ‘Scare’ Kids ‘Straight’" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/imprisoned-people-can-do-more-than-scare-kids-straight/#more-6645" aria-label="Read more about Imprisoned People Can Do More than ‘Scare’ Kids ‘Straight’">Read more</a></p>

Newsletter Andy Luo / Unsplash Aaron Edward Olson and Randy BrennanApr 09, 2025 Share Copy Link Email Facebook Twitter Bluesky WhatsApp Reddit LinkedIn Prisons are designed for control, not compassion. Rows of razor wire, towering walls, and unyielding steel doors remind us we’re meant to be forgotten. For those of us serving life and long ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="How Prison Dog-Training Programs Transform Lives" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/how-prison-dog-training-programs-transform-lives/#more-6652" aria-label="Read more about How Prison Dog-Training Programs Transform Lives">Read more</a></p>

Credit: Sofi Gratas/GPB News Section Branding Header Content Too few guards and too many drones: Georgia prisons leaders alert lawmakers to dangers Primary Content LISTEN: While the number of prison guards in Georgia prisons is at a 15-year low, corrections officials say the number of people incarcerated in the state is at a 15-year high ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Too few guards and too many drones: Georgia prisons leaders alert lawmakers to dangers" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/too-few-guards-and-too-many-drones-georgia-prisons-leaders-alert-lawmakers-to-dangers/#more-7085" aria-label="Read more about Too few guards and too many drones: Georgia prisons leaders alert lawmakers to dangers">Read more</a></p>

Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB News Section Branding Header Content Gov. Kemp recommends adding $372 million to shore up Georgia prisons Primary Content Gov. Brian Kemp has released his recommendations for strengthening Georgia’s struggling prison system, which include an additional $372 million in state spending. “We do realize and recognize that this is — I don’t know ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Gov. Kemp recommends adding $372 million to shore up Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/gov-kemp-recommends-adding-372-million-to-shore-up-georgia-prisons-georgia-public-broadcasting/#more-6686" aria-label="Read more about Gov. Kemp recommends adding $372 million to shore up Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting">Read more</a></p>

ATLANTA — Georgia Department of Corrections officials began laying the groundwork Wednesday for an infusion of state funding to beef up staffing, replace aging infrastructure, and improve inmate health care. The state’s workforce of correctional officers plummeted during the COVID pandemic and has yet to fully recover, Georgia Commissioner of Corrections Tyrone Oliver told members ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="State prisons chief pitches case for funding boost – Georgia Public Broadcasting" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/state-prisons-chief-pitches-case-for-funding-boost-georgia-public-broadcasting/#more-6687" aria-label="Read more about State prisons chief pitches case for funding boost – Georgia Public Broadcasting">Read more</a></p>

Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB News Section Branding Header Content The federal Department of Justice: ‘deliberate indifference’ to violence in Georgia prisons Primary Content LISTEN: After a yearslong investigation, the Department of Justice says violence in Georgia prisons is at a “crisis level.” GPB’s Grant Blankenship reports. In a blistering, just-released report years in the making, the ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="The federal Department of Justice: ‘deliberate indifference’ to violence in Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/the-federal-department-of-justice-deliberate-indifference-to-violence-in-georgia-prisons-georgia-public-broadcasting/#more-6688" aria-label="Read more about The federal Department of Justice: ‘deliberate indifference’ to violence in Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting">Read more</a></p>

Credit: Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder Section Branding Header Content Georgia prisons chief tells state lawmakers drones are smuggling deadly contraband into prisons Primary Content The Georgia Department of Corrections continues to struggle with an onslaught of drones that are being used to deliver contraband, such as drugs, cell phones, and potentially even the firearm used by ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Georgia prisons chief tells state lawmakers drones are smuggling deadly contraband into prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/georgia-prisons-chief-tells-state-lawmakers-drones-are-smuggling-deadly-contraband-into-prisons-georgia-public-broadcasting/#more-6689" aria-label="Read more about Georgia prisons chief tells state lawmakers drones are smuggling deadly contraband into prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting">Read more</a></p>

Several U.S. states, including Pennsylvania and California, are piloting or expanding prison units modeled on Nordic approaches that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment, featuring elements like plants, fish tanks, and vocational training. Pennsylvania announced it will expand its “Little Scandinavia” unit from SCI Chester to three additional facilities after a study showed only one physical altercation ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10782" aria-label="Read more about Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration">Read more</a></p>

This is The Marshall Project’s Closing Argument newsletter, a weekly deep dive into a key criminal justice issue. Want this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for future newsletters. The food on the trays doesn’t even look like food. In photos smuggled out of Georgia’s prisons, what passes for a meal is either grossly inadequate ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Rats, Insects and Mold: How Bad Food Leaves Prisoners Hungry and Sick" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/rats-insects-and-mold-how-bad-food-leaves-prisoners-hungry-and-sick/#more-10444" aria-label="Read more about Rats, Insects and Mold: How Bad Food Leaves Prisoners Hungry and Sick">Read more</a></p>

This is The Marshall Project’s Closing Argument newsletter, a weekly deep dive into a key criminal justice issue. Want this delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to future newsletters here. For decades, Louisiana had the nation’s highest rate of incarceration. And — given that the U.S. is among the most carceral countries on the planet — ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Crime Laws: How Louisiana, Georgia, Other States Embrace ‘Tough-on-Crime" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/crime-laws-how-louisiana-georgia-other-states-embrace-tough-on-crime/#more-6772" aria-label="Read more about Crime Laws: How Louisiana, Georgia, Other States Embrace ‘Tough-on-Crime">Read more</a></p>

When Andrew Phillips took a job as a corrections officer at Georgia’s Smith State Prison in 2021, he was desperate for work. Shortly after he started, he noticed a problem. The prison housed about 1,500 men, and each shift was supposed to have 30 officers to guard them, but most days there were half that, ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Data Reveals Prison Crisis: More Prisoners, Fewer Correctional Officers" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/data-reveals-prison-crisis-more-prisoners-fewer-correctional-officers/#more-6770" aria-label="Read more about Data Reveals Prison Crisis: More Prisoners, Fewer Correctional Officers">Read more</a></p>

At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become. On a “good day,” he told lawmakers, he had maybe six or seven officers to supervise roughly 1,200 people. He said he had recently ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="As Corrections Officers Quit in Droves, Prisons Get Even More Dangerous" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/as-corrections-officers-quit-in-droves-prisons-get-even-more-dangerous/#more-6771" aria-label="Read more about As Corrections Officers Quit in Droves, Prisons Get Even More Dangerous">Read more</a></p>

Two inmates died within 24 hours of each other on June 13 and June 14 at Washington State Prison near Davisboro, Georgia. The Georgia Department of Corrections reported their causes of death as undetermined, with no signs of altercations or foul play. The bodies were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory for ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Inmate deaths under investigation – The Union-Recorder" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-11029" aria-label="Read more about Inmate deaths under investigation – The Union-Recorder">Read more</a></p>

Two inmates at Washington State Prison in Georgia died within 24 hours of each other, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). Israel Jones, in his late 60s and serving a 47-year sentence for armed robbery from Chatham County, died on Friday; Courtney Davis, in his early 40s and serving a 10-year sentence for ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Two inmates at Washington State Prison die within 24 hours, GDC says – WGXA" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10957" aria-label="Read more about Two inmates at Washington State Prison die within 24 hours, GDC says – WGXA">Read more</a></p>

GDC investigating two inmate deaths at Washington State Prison GDC says the causes of death for Courtney Davis and Isreal Jones are undetermined and both cases are under standard investigation 23 hours ago Tucker Sargent, DAVISBORO, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Georgia Department of Corrections is investigating the deaths of two inmates at Washington State Prison. ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="GDC investigating two inmate deaths at Washington State Prison – 41NBC News" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10959" aria-label="Read more about GDC investigating two inmate deaths at Washington State Prison – 41NBC News">Read more</a></p>

An inmate at Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Georgia, died on Sunday, June 11, 2026, following an altercation with another inmate, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). A GDC spokesperson stated that the body of Timothy Wilson was turned over to the county coroner and will be sent to the GBI Crime Lab ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="GDC: Telfair State Prison inmate dies after altercation – 41NBC News" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/#more-10944" aria-label="Read more about GDC: Telfair State Prison inmate dies after altercation – 41NBC News">Read more</a></p>

1 hospitalized after fight between 3 inmates at Dooly State Prison, GDC says  WMAZ

Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown By Guest Blogger / December 16, 2010 Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit Share on Facebook More Linkedin Share on Google+ Share via Email By Kung Li Georgia prisoners came out of their cells today, ending the lockdown phase of the largest prison work strike in U.S. history. ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/georgia-prisoner-strike-comes-out-of-lockdown/#more-6762" aria-label="Read more about Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown">Read more</a></p>

Georgia Prisoners’ Strike: “We locked ourselves down.” In a protest that appears to be spreading through Georgia’s prison system, inmates are striking for better conditions. One interesting facet of this rare prison strike, which reaches across multiple facilities and across racial and factional lines, is the participants’ use of self-imposed lockdown to serve their own ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Georgia Prisoners’ Strike: “We locked ourselves down.”" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/georgia-prisoners-strike-we-locked-ourselves-down/#more-6763" aria-label="Read more about Georgia Prisoners’ Strike: “We locked ourselves down.”">Read more</a></p>

Last week a diverse group of nonviolent protesters across Georgia stood up for their rights, calling for decent wages, better social services and respect for their civil liberties. It didn’t take long for the government to crack down on the demonstrations, however: the protesters were already in prison. The uprising of Georgia inmates on December ... <p class="read-more-container"><a title="Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists" class="read-more button" href="https://gps.press/gps-news/georgia-prison-strike-a-hidden-labor-force-resists/#more-6761" aria-label="Read more about Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists">Read more</a></p>