Georgia’s Parole System Is Releasing Fewer People While Costs Rise: FY 2024 Board of Pardons and Paroles Annual Report

Executive Summary

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles’ FY 2024 Annual Report reveals a parole system that is steadily constricting the pathway out of prison for thousands of people, despite strong evidence that parole works and saves taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

• Parole releases have dropped 42% in five years, from 9,455 in FY19 to 5,443 in FY24 — roughly 4,000 fewer people released per year — while the prison population has remained at approximately 50,000.
• People serving life sentences now spend an average of 29.2 years in prison before release, more than triple the average of less than 9 years in 1973, driven by escalating legislative eligibility restrictions.
• Only 67 people convicted of serious violent felonies and serving life sentences were granted parole out of 2,046 cases considered — a 3.3% approval rate — effectively converting life-with-parole sentences into life-without-parole.
• Parole supervision saves Georgia an estimated $343 million annually compared to incarceration, at $2.89 per day versus $68.51 per day.
• Georgia’s 72% parole success rate exceeds the estimated national average of 60%, demonstrating that the Board’s own data-driven process identifies people who succeed upon release.

Key Takeaway: Georgia is releasing dramatically fewer people on parole despite a proven track record of success and massive taxpayer savings, raising urgent questions about who benefits from keeping more people incarcerated longer.

Fiscal Impact

Current Cost Avoidance

The Board reports that parole supervision generates more than $343 million in annual cost avoidance compared to incarcerating the same individuals. This figure is derived from the stark cost differential:

Unrealized Savings from Declining Releases

The 42% decline in parole releases — from 9,455 in FY19 to 5,443 in FY24 — means approximately 4,000 fewer people are released each year than at FY19 levels. At a cost differential of $65.62 per day, each person kept in prison rather than released to parole costs Georgia taxpayers approximately $23,951 per year more than supervision would. The cumulative fiscal impact of declining parole releases represents a significant, growing expenditure borne by Georgia taxpayers.

Board Operating Budget

The Board operated on a total budget of $20,441,436 in FY24, with total expenditures of $20,240,569.85. Personal services (salaries) consumed 86.96% of expenditures at $17,602,670.30. The Board’s 179 full-time employees processed 19,328 cases — a significant caseload per staff member.

Additional Cost Avoidance

The ICE Rapid REPAT Program released 14 foreign national individuals to ICE for deportation, generating an additional estimated cost avoidance of $2,530,348.

Key Takeaway: Every person kept in prison instead of supervised on parole costs Georgia taxpayers an additional $65.62 per day, and the 42% decline in releases represents a substantial and growing fiscal burden on the state.

Key Findings

1. The State Is Systematically Reducing Parole Releases

Parole releases have declined every year since FY20:

This 42% decline from FY19 to FY24 occurred while the prison population remained at approximately 50,000, indicating that Board policy — not population changes — is driving the reduction. The Board released 420 fewer people in FY24 than in FY23 alone.

2. Life-Sentenced People Face De Facto Life Without Parole

The average time served on a life sentence before release has risen to 29.2 years in FY24. This represents a staggering escalation:

• 1973: Less than 9 years
• 2000: More than 15 years
• 2010: Nearly 20 years
• 2024: 29.2 years

The General Assembly has driven this increase through successive changes to parole eligibility for “seven deadly sins” offenses:

• Before 1995: Eligible after 7 years
• 1995–2006: Eligible after 14 years
• After June 30, 2006: Eligible after 30 years

Out of 2,046 life sentence cases considered in FY24, only 67 people convicted of serious violent felonies were granted parole — a 3.3% approval rate. Total life sentence grants, including all offense types, numbered only 93.

3. Georgia’s Parole Success Rate Demonstrates the System Works

Georgia’s 72% successful parole completion rate significantly exceeds the estimated national average of approximately 60%. This data point, highlighted by the Board itself, underscores that the people released on parole overwhelmingly succeed — which makes the declining release numbers difficult to justify on public safety grounds.

4. Revocations Are Declining — and Are Rarely for Technical Violations

Parole revocations dropped from 2,720 in FY19 to 1,437 in FY24 — a 47% decrease. Less than 1% of revocations in FY24 were for technical violations such as drug use, curfew violations, or failure to pay fines and fees. This decline in revocations largely tracks the decline in the parole population itself, which fell from 16,369 to 15,105 during FY24.

5. Performance Incentive Credits Are Awarded but Not Translating to Releases

The Board granted 29,962 Performance Incentive Credit (PIC) points to people in prison who completed educational, vocational, treatment programs, and work details. Each point equals one month of potential advancement toward an earlier tentative parole month. Yet overall releases continued to decline, suggesting the Board is exercising its discretion to override the earned credit recommendations.

6. The Board Operates with a Small Staff and Heavy Caseload

Only 179 full-time employees managed the entire parole consideration process, which included:

• 19,328 parole-eligible cases considered
• 69,375 total votes by five Board Members
• 34,936 investigations completed by clemency investigators
• 16,972 cases initialized for consideration
• 9,193 final reviews completed
• 41,271 notifications generated

7. Commutation Under SB174 Is Rarely Granted

Of 761 cases considered for commutation under SB174 (which allows commutation for people who completed 12 consecutive months of parole successfully), only 9 cases were commuted — a 1.2% approval rate.

Key Takeaway: The data reveals a system that acknowledges parole works — 72% success rate, massive cost savings — yet steadily restricts the number of people who can access it, effectively sentencing thousands of people to longer incarceration than the evidence supports.

Comparable States

The source document provides limited comparative data. The Board reports that Georgia’s 72% parole success rate exceeds the estimated national average of approximately 60%. However, the report does not provide state-by-state comparisons for parole grant rates, time served on life sentences, or cost-per-day differentials.

Notably, the Board’s own presentation at the Association of Paroling Authorities International Conference suggests Georgia views itself as a national leader. The legislature should request comparative data from states with similar prison populations to assess whether Georgia’s 3.3% life-sentence parole grant rate and 42% decline in overall releases represent outlier trends.

Additional comparable state data is not available in the source document.

Key Takeaway: Georgia claims national leadership on parole success rates but provides no peer-state comparison data on grant rates or time served, making independent legislative evaluation difficult.

Policy Recommendations

Based on the data in the FY 2024 Annual Report, GPS recommends the following actions for the General Assembly:

1. Require the Board to Report Parole Grant and Denial Rates by Offense Category

The Board currently reports total releases but not denial rates for non-life cases. Legislators cannot assess whether the parole system is functioning as intended without transparency on how many eligible people are denied and why. Action: Mandate annual reporting of grant/denial rates broken down by offense severity, sentence type, race, gender, and age.

2. Conduct a Fiscal Impact Study on Declining Parole Releases

The 42% decline in parole releases represents a significant shift in state incarceration costs. Action: Direct the Senate and House Appropriations Committees to request a fiscal impact analysis from the Department of Corrections and the Board quantifying the additional incarceration costs attributable to declining parole releases since FY19.

3. Revisit Parole Eligibility Timelines for Life Sentences

The escalation of parole eligibility from 7 years (pre-1995) to 30 years (post-2006) for serious violent felonies has produced average time served of 29.2 years and a 3.3% grant rate. These restrictions effectively nullify the constitutional parole authority. Action: Introduce legislation to study whether the 30-year eligibility threshold for offenses committed after 2006 serves public safety goals, given the Board’s demonstrated ability to identify successful candidates (72% success rate).

4. Increase Board Staffing Commensurate with Caseload

Five Board Members made 69,375 votes on 19,328 cases with only 179 total staff. Action: Appropriate additional resources to ensure each case receives thorough, individualized review rather than processing under resource constraints that may incentivize denials as the faster, lower-risk decision.

5. Expand the SB174 Commutation Pathway

Only 9 of 761 cases considered under SB174 resulted in commutation (1.2%). Action: Review the “strict criteria” the Board applies to SB174 and consider whether legislative amendments could make this pathway more accessible for people who have demonstrated sustained success on parole.

6. Require Explanation of PIC Override Decisions

The Board granted 29,962 PIC points yet releases declined. Board Members have discretion to override PIC-earned advancement. Action: Require the Board to report how frequently it overrides PIC recommendations and the stated reasons, to ensure the incentive program created by the legislature functions as intended.

7. Mandate Comparative Analysis with Peer States

The report lacks peer-state comparisons on key metrics. Action: Direct the Board to include in future annual reports a comparison with at least five similarly sized states on parole grant rates, time served, recidivism, and cost per day.

Key Takeaway: The legislature has direct tools — eligibility timelines, reporting mandates, staffing appropriations, and commutation criteria — to ensure the parole system fulfills its constitutional purpose rather than functioning as a second sentencing authority.

Read the Source Document

Read the full FY 2024 Annual Report from the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles (PDF)

Other Versions

• Public Version — A plain-language summary for Georgia residents and families
• Media Version — A press-ready brief with key data points and context for journalists