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Georgia’s prison system has come under sustained scrutiny from federal investigators, state consultants, and investigative reporters. This page collects recent coverage so readers can follow the crisis — and the push for reform.
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Florida sheriff blasts Georgia officials over prisoners’ scams
A Florida sheriff arrested a woman accused of participating in a scam network through Georgia prisons and called for officials to put a stop to the scammers’ operations within the prison system. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, in a video posted to social media, said investigators there linked an Atlanta woman and three others to ...
Cellphone jamming threatens to silence incarcerated journalists
A commentary published by The Objective argues that a proposed FCC policy allowing cellphone jamming in prisons would curtail reporting by incarcerated journalists, including in Georgia. The author, writing under the pseudonym Jimmy Iakovos and identified as a journalist incarcerated in Georgia, says the Georgia Department of Corrections has prioritized removing and blocking cellphones and ...
Georgia DOC Expands Contraband Interdiction Strategy Through Advanced Wireless Security Technology – Correctional News
The Georgia Department of Corrections has deployed SDF’s PROscan cellular interdiction technology at 18 state correctional facilities, with additional sites planned through 2026, according to Correctional News. GDC officials said the system has helped identify and deny service to more than 13,000 unauthorized wireless devices since implementation, with hundreds more identified monthly as new facilities ...
Inmate sentenced to life without parole after malice murder conviction in Hancock County
Inmate sentenced to life without parole after malice murder conviction in Hancock County HANCOCK COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — A Hancock County jury has convicted a state prison inmate of malice murder, resulting in a life sentence without parole for the fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate. On June 17, 2025, at around 2:45 p.m., 33-year-old ...
Georgia inmate’s execution halted as state supreme court asked to review case – wtoc.com
The Supreme Court of Georgia has been asked to decide whether death row inmate Stacey Humphreys may seek a reduced sentence under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, a victim advocate law. Humphreys was scheduled to be executed Wednesday at 7 p.m., but the Cobb County Superior Court issued a stay that his attorney said will ...
Florida sheriff blasts Georgia officials over prisoners’ scams
A Florida sheriff arrested a woman accused of participating in a scam network through Georgia prisons and called for officials to put a stop to the scammers’ operations within the prison system. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, in a video posted to social media, said investigators there linked an Atlanta woman and three others to ...
Georgia death row inmate seeks to avoid execution under new law for abuse survivors – AJC.com
Stacey Ian Humphreys, a Georgia death row inmate scheduled for execution this week, has asked a court to reduce his sentence under Georgia’s Survivor Justice Act, according to the AJC. In a Monday filing, Humphreys’ attorneys argued he is eligible for a reduced sentence instead of the death penalty because he was severely abused throughout ...
New execution date scheduled for Georgia death row inmate – AJC.com
A new execution date has been scheduled for death row inmate Stacey Ian Humphreys, who was convicted nearly 20 years ago in the deaths of two Cobb County real estate agents, the Georgia Department of Corrections announced Thursday. The execution will take place Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison ...
After more than two decades in prison, father granted new trial in son’s death – AJC.com
A Gwinnett County judge has granted a new trial to Danyel Smith, who was convicted more than two decades ago in the shaken-baby death of his 2-month-old son, Chandler. Smith has consistently maintained his innocence, and his defense team has sought to present new evidence they believe could exonerate him. In 2023, Gwinnett prosecutors offered ...
Couple imprisoned for baby’s death eligible for state payout, judge says – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An administrative law judge ruled that Ashley Jordan and Albert Debelbot are eligible for state compensation under Georgia’s Wrongful Conviction and Incarceration Act after spending over 12 years in prison for the 2008 death of their newborn daughter. Judge Ronit Walker of the Office of State Administrative Hearings issued a 41-page opinion finding that the ...
After More Than 20 Years in Prison, Georgia Man Wins New Trial in “Shaken Baby” Case
A Georgia court has ordered a new trial for Danyel Smith, who was convicted in 2003 of killing his two-month-old son in a case that relied on a Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) diagnosis. Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Gallant ruled that evolving scientific research on SBS, also known as Abusive Head Trauma, constitutes ...
Incarcerated People Lose Treasured Media When Prisons Change Tablet Contracts
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in March 2026 alleges that the Tennessee Department of Correction violated the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause by confiscating tablets from incarcerated people and failing to transfer purchased digital content—including music, emails, and photographs—after switching tablet vendors from JPay to ViaPath. The complaint states that under the new contract, TDOC receives ...
Trans People Behind Bars Face Great Risks. Prison Officials Are Making It Worse.
A new article from The Appeal and Truthout reports that incarcerated transgender people face heightened risks of violence and discrimination, with prison policies often exacerbating these dangers. The piece highlights the case of Gia Valentina, a transgender woman in New Jersey who was denied transfer to a women’s prison after undergoing gender-affirming surgery, leaving her ...
A Court Found Conditions at Louisiana’s Prison Farm Unconstitutional. It Let Them Continue Anyway.
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 ...
Families of Victims Who Died From Heat in Prison Fight to Prevent More Deaths
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, ...
Shackled for weeks: Federal report finds abuse of restraints in prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting
A new Justice Department Inspector General report found that the federal Bureau of Prisons violated its own rules by excessively restraining prisoners, including cases where an individual died after being shackled for over two days and another required a limb amputation due to restraints being applied too tightly. The report reviewed six years of records ...
Too few guards and too many drones: Georgia prisons leaders alert lawmakers to dangers
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 ...
Gov. Kemp recommends adding $372 million to shore up Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting
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 ...
State prisons chief pitches case for funding boost – Georgia Public Broadcasting
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 ...
The federal Department of Justice: ‘deliberate indifference’ to violence in Georgia prisons – Georgia Public Broadcasting
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 ...
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Fish Tanks, Plants and Podcast Studios — Some States Try a New Approach to Incarceration
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 ...
Rats, Insects and Mold: How Bad Food Leaves Prisoners Hungry and Sick
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 ...
Crime Laws: How Louisiana, Georgia, Other States Embrace ‘Tough-on-Crime
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 — ...
Data Reveals Prison Crisis: More Prisoners, Fewer Correctional Officers
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, ...
As Corrections Officers Quit in Droves, Prisons Get Even More Dangerous
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 ...
Georgia DOC Expands Contraband Interdiction Strategy Through Advanced Wireless Security Technology – Correctional News
The Georgia Department of Corrections has deployed SDF’s PROscan cellular interdiction technology at 18 state correctional facilities, with additional sites planned through 2026, according to Correctional News. GDC officials said the system has helped identify and deny service to more than 13,000 unauthorized wireless devices since implementation, with hundreds more identified monthly as new facilities ...
Inmate sentenced to life without parole after malice murder conviction in Hancock County
Inmate sentenced to life without parole after malice murder conviction in Hancock County HANCOCK COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — A Hancock County jury has convicted a state prison inmate of malice murder, resulting in a life sentence without parole for the fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate. On June 17, 2025, at around 2:45 p.m., 33-year-old ...
3 inmates injured in gang fight at Telfair State Prison, GDC facilities on lockdown – WGXA
Three inmates were injured in what the Georgia Department of Corrections described as a gang-related fight at Telfair State Prison on Thursday, according to WGXA. The GDC said the fight involved numerous offenders but was contained to a single dorm, and the three injured inmates were treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries before returning ...
Gang fight at Telfair State Prison prompts statewide prison lockdown, GA Department of Corrections says – 13WMAZ
Gang fight at Telfair State Prison prompts statewide prison lockdown, GA Department of Corrections says 13WMAZ Gang fight at Telfair State Prison prompts statewide prison lockdown, GA Department of Corrections says Georgia’s prison system is under lockdown following a gang-related fight at Telfair State Prison. Author: Taleen Hanna Published: 5:53 PM EDT September 17, 2026 Updated: 5:53 PM EDT ...
Death row inmate’s stay of execution upheld by Georgia Supreme Court – WSB-TV
The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday left in place a stay of execution for death row inmate Stacey Humphreys while the state’s appeal proceeds, according to WSB-TV. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Tyler Browning issued the hold late Tuesday, and Humphreys had been scheduled for lethal injection at 7 p.m. Wednesday; he would have been ...
ITUC Observations under Article 23 – USA C105 (Forced Labour)
1 The International Trade Union Confederation is a worldwide union network that represents 207 million workers in 163 countries and territories. ITUC’s primary mission is to promote and defend workers’ rights through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning and advocacy within major global institutions. Among its affiliates is the American Federation of Labor-Congress of ...
U.S. Department of Justice Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Investigation of Georgia Prisons U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia i October 1, 2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………………….. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ………………………………………………………………………… 3 INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………… 4 INVESTIGATION …………………………………………………………………………………. 11 DEFICIENT CONDITIONS IDENTIFIED …………………………………………………. 14 A. The State of Georgia ...
Georgia prisoner strike comes out of lockdown
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. ...
Georgia Prisoners’ Strike: “We locked ourselves down.”
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 ...
Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists
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 ...
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