This explainer is based on Governor’s FY2027 Budget: Department of Corrections. All statistics and findings are drawn directly from this source.
TL;DR
Georgia plans to spend about $1.8 billion on its prison system. The state locks up more than 50,000 people. Health care costs are rising fast — up nearly $55 million next year alone. The state is also adding 263 new private prison beds. Meanwhile, it forces people in prison to work with no real pay.
Why This Matters
If someone you love is in a Georgia prison, this budget shapes their daily life. It decides how many guards watch over them. It decides what health care they get. It decides what programs help them come home.
This budget tells us what the state values. Georgia is spending big on tech to block cell phones and drones. It is adding private prison beds. But the money for things that help people — like mental health care, schooling, and re-entry help — is much smaller.
Every dollar in this budget is a choice. And right now, Georgia is choosing walls over wellness.
Key Takeaway: This budget controls the daily conditions for more than 50,000 people in Georgia prisons — and their families feel the impact too.
The Big Picture: $1.8 Billion in Tax Dollars
Georgia’s prison budget for the updated 2026 year is $1,799,204,979. That’s nearly $1.8 billion. Almost all of it — $1,782,435,308 — comes from state tax dollars.
The 2027 budget is set at $1,778,839,635. That’s a bit lower but still huge.
To put this in real terms: Georgia spends more on locking people up than many states spend on their whole school system.
- State prisons take the biggest share: $938,705,499 in 2026. That’s more than half of all spending.
- Health care is the next biggest cost: $417,255,739 in 2026.
- Private prisons get $173,540,164 in 2026.
Key Takeaway: More than half of the $1.8 billion budget goes to running state prisons.
Health Care Costs Are Surging
Health care for people in prison is the fastest growing cost. In 2026, the health budget went up by $39,777,721. In 2027, it jumps by another $54,769,710.
Where is the money going?
- Daily health care rates went up by $10,946,108 in 2026. In 2027, that jumps to $23,627,395 — more than double.
- Care outside prison walls — like hospital trips — got $15,000,000 more in 2026.
- New beds mean more people need care. That costs $12,923,790 extra in 2026 and $24,253,500 in 2027.
- Mental health staff got a small boost: $479,411 in 2026 and $1,917,644 in 2027.
- Dental health staff got even less: $374,587 in 2026 and $1,498,347 in 2027.
- Drug costs (pharmacy) went up $3,681,328 in 2027.
The total health budget hits $432,247,728 in 2027. That’s about 24 cents of every dollar the state spends on prisons.
Key Takeaway: Health care costs are rising fast, but mental health and dental care get only a tiny fraction of the increase.
Staffing: Too Few Guards, Too Many People
The state admits it needs more guards. The budget adds money for new prison guard jobs to improve the ratio of staff to people locked up.
In 2026, that costs $4,982,902. In 2027, it jumps to $26,824,134 — more than five times as much.
Why does this matter to families? When prisons don’t have enough staff, things get dangerous. People in prison face more violence. They wait longer for meals, for help, and for medical care. Guards who are there get burned out and stretched thin.
The state also gave workers a one-time bonus of $2,000 in 2026. The state prisons share of that bonus was $12,050,341. But a one-time check doesn’t fix long-term pay problems.
Key Takeaway: The state is spending over $26 million in 2027 to hire more guards — a sign that prisons have been badly short-staffed.
Millions for Surveillance Tech, Less for People
Georgia is pouring money into tools to watch and control people in prison:
- Cell phone blockers and drone detectors: $13,387,475 in 2026. In 2027, the state shifts $10,793,600 from other funds to keep these systems running.
- The “Over Watch” (OWL) Unit: This new unit gets $1,238,495 for staff in 2027, plus $5,521,230 for new tech.
- Gang unit workers: $137,802 in 2026, then $377,168 in 2027.
- Dog handlers: $964,650 in 2026, then $624,652 in 2027.
- Cell phone analysts: $409,040 in 2027.
Now compare that to programs that help people:
- Peer-led program pilot at Autry State Prison: just $150,000 in 2026.
- Metro Re-Entry programs: $93,179 in 2026 and only $39,786 in 2027.
- High school diploma staff: $93,672 in 2026, growing to $953,033 in 2027.
The gap is clear. The state spends far more on watching people than on helping them get ready to come home.
Key Takeaway: Georgia spends tens of millions on surveillance and control tech, but only a fraction of that on education and re-entry programs.
Private Prisons Are Growing
Georgia pays two private companies — CoreCivic and GEO Group — to run some of its prisons. In 2026, private prisons get $173,540,164. In 2027, that rises to $177,767,784.
The state is also adding 263 new beds at private prisons:
- 160 beds at Coffee prison
- 103 beds at Wheeler prison
- Total cost: $4,227,620
This means Georgia is expanding the role of for-profit companies in locking people up. These companies make money by filling beds. Their goal is profit, not the well-being of the people inside.
At the same time, the state is adding five sets of quick-build housing units (called “modular units”) at $880,104 in 2026 and $1,760,207 in 2027. This points to a system straining at its limits.
Key Takeaway: Georgia is adding 263 new private prison beds and spending over $177 million on for-profit prisons in 2027.
Forced Labor With No Real Pay
The budget report states plainly that Georgia forces people in prison to work. The document says:
“GDC requires offenders in its facilities to work to support the prison system and the community.”
People in prison work in:
- Farm work — raising crops and animals
- Cooking meals
- Doing laundry
- Building and fixing things
- Factory work in state-run plants
In county prisons, people work on road and building projects for the county where they are held.
The budget does not mention paying these workers a fair wage. This is forced labor that props up the prison system and saves the state money — at the expense of people who have no choice.
Key Takeaway: Georgia requires people in prison to work but does not mention fair pay — this is state-mandated forced labor.
County Jails Are Holding More State Prisoners
The state pays local county jails to hold people serving state prison time. In 2026, those payments went up by $6,242,030.
This likely means the state doesn’t have enough room in its own prisons. So it sends people to county jails, which are often worse. County jails may have fewer programs, less medical care, and worse conditions.
For families, this can mean a loved one ends up farther from home. It can also mean less access to the services they need.
Key Takeaway: The state is paying $6.2 million more to county jails to hold state prisoners — a sign the system is overcrowded.
Lee Arrendale: Georgia’s Only Women’s Prison
Lee Arrendale State Prison is the only state prison just for women in Georgia. The budget adds $1,542,179 per year for its daily operations in both 2026 and 2027.
This increase may point to growing numbers of women in prison. Or it may mean the facility was underfunded before. Either way, one prison for all women in the state raises serious concerns about access to family visits, health care, and programs.
Key Takeaway: Georgia’s only women’s prison gets a $1.5 million boost, but one facility for all women in the state is still not enough.
Spending Has Exploded in Recent Years
Look at how fast prison spending has grown:
- 2024 actual spending: $1,526,654,104
- 2025 actual spending: $1,913,888,054
That’s a jump of nearly $387 million in one year. In state tax dollars alone, spending went from $1,422,978,935 in 2024 to $1,823,730,648 in 2025.
The 2026 and 2027 budgets pull back a bit. But the trend is clear: Georgia is spending more and more to lock people up. Is it making anyone safer? The budget doesn’t answer that.
Key Takeaway: Prison spending jumped by nearly $387 million in a single year — from 2024 to 2025.
What’s Missing From This Budget
This budget tells us a lot about what Georgia values. But it also reveals what the state ignores:
- No data on outcomes. How many people come back to prison after release? The budget doesn’t say.
- No data on violence. How many people are hurt or killed inside? The budget doesn’t say.
- No data on staffing gaps. How many guard jobs sit empty right now? The budget doesn’t say.
- No mention of wages for forced labor.
- Tiny investment in re-entry compared to billions on containment.
A budget is a moral document. This one shows that Georgia sees people in prison as problems to manage — not people to help.
Key Takeaway: The budget lacks data on violence, recidivism, and staffing vacancies — hiding the true human cost of the system.
Glossary
- Per diem: The daily cost per person. When the budget says “per diem increase,” it means the daily rate went up.
- Outside-the-wire care: Medical care given outside the prison — like hospital visits or seeing a specialist.
- Managed access system: Tech that blocks illegal cell phones inside prisons.
- Drone detection system: Tech that spots drones trying to drop things into prisons.
- Modular units: Quick-build housing added to prisons when they run out of room.
- Security threat group: The state’s term for gangs inside prisons.
- OWL Unit (Over Watch and Logistics): A special unit that uses cameras and tech to watch over prisons.
- RSAT: A nine-month drug treatment program for people close to release.
- Transition centers: Places where people near the end of their sentence can work in the community and get ready to come home.
- Re-entry facility: A prison redesigned to help people prepare for life after prison.
- Tier rate: A pricing system in private prison contracts based on security level or services.
- Risk share: A deal where the state and a health care company split costs that go above a set amount.
- State General Funds: Tax money from the state — the main source of prison funding.
- Amended budget: A budget that was changed after it was first approved.
- POST certified: An officer who has finished required law enforcement training in Georgia.
Read the Source Document
Other Versions
- Legislator Version — A policy-focused version with budget details for lawmakers.
- Media Version — A press-ready summary for journalists and news outlets.