Independent Research

GPS Research Library

In-depth research on every major issue inside Georgia’s prison system — written in plain language for families, advocates, and anyone who wants to understand what’s happening behind the walls.

Start Here: Research Topics

New to the Research Library? Topic pages are the best place to start. Each one synthesizes findings from dozens of collections into a single, readable overview — covering healthcare, mortality, staffing, violence, solitary confinement, and 15 more issues. Click into any topic to get the full picture, then use the “Learn More” buttons to dig deeper into specific subjects.

Browse All Topics → 20 topics covering 5,310 data points
67
Research Collections
1,462
Sources Cited
5,310
Verified Data Points
1,477
Named Entities
Loading research collections…

By the Numbers

The most striking findings from across our research — each linked to its source.

67%
67% of inmates housed in wrong cells at one prison
881
Georgia locks up 881 per 100K—worse than any country but El Salvador
49
Georgia: 49 prison overdose deaths in 4 years, 2 in 2018
80%
One facility has 80% correctional officer vacancy
83-1150
Commissary markups range 83-1,150% over retail
$1.4B
$1.4 billion annual prison phone/telecom monopoly
78%
78% of Georgia solitary inmates held over 2 years
58%
Black Georgians are 58% of prisoners, 31% of state
8,000,000
8 million tons of lead dumped from gasoline
142
142 homicides in Georgia prisons over 5 years
Prisoner died of dehydration with sealed cell door

Figures drawn from GPS research collections. Some numbers originate from GDC self-reported data and may undercount the true scale.

How to Use This Page

The Research Library has several layers. Here’s what each one is for.

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Research Topics

Start here. 20 topic pages synthesize findings from across all collections into readable overviews. Each has a “Learn More” button that lets you ask AI follow-up questions grounded in the data.

Browse Topics →
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Research Collections

The individual studies, reports, and investigations that feed the topic pages. Scroll down to search and browse all collections. Each one has its own page with data points, sources, and datasets.

Search Collections ↓
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Ask Lighthouse AI

Have a specific question? Lighthouse AI searches the full Research Library, mortality database, policy library, and statistics — then gives you a sourced answer in seconds.

Open Lighthouse AI →
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GPS Data & Statistics

Explore raw numbers: prison population, mortality data, facility profiles, parole statistics, budget analysis, and 34 years of offense data across 304 categories.

View Statistics →

About the Research Library

The GPS Research Library is a structured, citation-backed knowledge base covering every major issue in Georgia’s prison system. We extract, verify, and organize the most critical facts from hundreds of sources — DOJ reports, state budget documents, academic studies, court filings, investigative journalism, and our own original research.

Every data point is tagged by type, linked to its original source, and assigned a confidence level. The result is a research infrastructure that powers GPS articles, our AI tools, and everything on this page. The Research Topics pages synthesize these collections into 20 readable overviews — the best starting point for understanding any issue. Individual collection pages (listed below) go deeper into specific studies, reports, and investigations.

For additional resources, visit the Resources page, the GDC Policy Library (561 SOPs, 195 Board Rules), or the Mortality Database tracking 1,770 deaths in GDC custody.

The Research Library exists because accountability requires evidence, and evidence requires structure. Scattered data is easy to ignore. A verified, cross-referenced knowledge base built from hundreds of primary sources is not.

Built for Accountability. Open to Everyone.

Whether you’re a family member looking for answers, a journalist investigating conditions, or an advocate pushing for change — the GPS Research Library gives you the verified facts you need.

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