Georgia Spent $50 Million on Phone-Blocking Tech. Killings Doubled.

TL;DR

Georgia spent about $50 million to block cell phones in prisons. The state says this makes prisons safer. But since the rollout began, killings inside prisons more than doubled — from 31 in 2022 to 66 in 2024. A record 333 people died in Georgia prisons in 2024. Every time the state turned on the blocking system at a prison, serious violence broke out within days or weeks. Meanwhile, there are no public records showing how these contracts were awarded. And one of the three companies getting paid is a two-person outfit with no office.

Why This Matters

If your loved one is in a Georgia prison, this matters right now.

The state is cutting off phone access. It says this stops crime. But the evidence tells a different story. When prisons go dark, people inside lose contact with family. They lose contact with lawyers. They lose the ability to report abuse or call for help.

And when that happens, violence spikes. Five people died at Washington State Prison in just three days after the state cut off the last way people could communicate.

This report also shows that the phone-blocking systems can shut down heart monitors and medical devices. If your family member has a medical condition, this could put their life at risk.

The state is spending tens of millions on this tech. But one in three guard jobs sits empty. More than 8 out of 10 new guards quit in their first year. No amount of tech can replace having enough staff to keep people safe.

Key Takeaway: The state is spending $50 million on phone-blocking tech while leaving one in three guard jobs empty — and violence is getting worse, not better.

What Is a Managed Access System?

A Managed Access System (MAS) is a tool that blocks cell phones in prisons.

Here’s how it works in simple terms:

• The system creates a fake cell network inside the prison.
• When a phone connects, the system reads its ID number.
• It checks if that phone is allowed.
• If not, it blocks the phone from making calls or sending texts.

One version of this tech, called C-DOS, goes further. It destroys phones for good. The company says it does this without a court order. More than 4,000 phones have been destroyed this way.

The system must still let 911 calls go through. But as we’ll see, that rule created its own problems.

Key Takeaway: MAS blocks cell phones by creating a fake cell network. One version permanently destroys phones without a court order.

Violence Got Worse, Not Better

The state says blocking phones will make prisons safer. The numbers show the opposite.

Here’s what happened to killings in Georgia prisons during the MAS rollout:

• 2017: 8 people killed
• 2019: 13 people killed
• 2022: 31 people killed (MAS rollout begins)
• 2023: 38 people killed
• 2024: 66 people killed
• 2025: 51 people killed
• 2026 (first 3 months only): 23 people killed

In 2024, 333 people died in Georgia prisons — a record. That’s almost one person every day.

GPS has tracked and confirmed 244 killings in its database. It used data from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to verify 170 of those cases. In late 2024, about 21 killings could not be confirmed because the state held back information.

Key Takeaway: Killings more than doubled — from 31 to 66 — during the years the state rolled out phone-blocking systems.

Every Time the System Was Turned On, Violence Followed

GPS looked at confirmed dates when MAS was turned on at prisons. Every time, serious violence followed within days or weeks:

• Dooly State Prison: MAS turned on around July 26, 2025. A riot broke out 47 days later on September 11.
• Washington State Prison: MAS turned on in late December 2025. On January 6, 2026, the state also cut off WiFi across all prisons. Five people died at Washington SP between January 9 and 11 — just 3 to 5 days later.

The WiFi cutoff mattered because people had found a workaround. They used the prison’s WiFi to get online through VPNs. On January 6, the state shut that down everywhere at once. For hundreds of people whose phones were already blocked, this was their last way to talk to the outside world.

Three to five days later, the worst outbreak of violence happened.

Key Takeaway: Five people died at Washington State Prison within days of the state cutting off the last way people could communicate.

The Deadliest Prisons All Have This Tech

GPS looked at which prisons had the most killings. Every one of the most violent prisons has a phone-blocking vendor:

• Smith SP: 17 killings (the warden was arrested for running a smuggling ring)
• Macon SP: 17 killings (9 or more in 2024 alone — the deadliest prison in Georgia)
• Telfair SP: 8 killings (the warden was stabbed in March 2024)
• Hancock SP: 8 killings
• Phillips SP: 7 killings
• Valdosta SP: 7 killings
• Ware SP: 7 killings

Every one of these prisons has a phone-blocking vendor on site.

Key Takeaway: Every one of Georgia’s most violent prisons already has phone-blocking technology — and the violence continues.

Phones Aren’t Going Away

Despite $50 million in spending, phones keep flooding into prisons.

Here are the numbers:

• 2019: 8,966 phone incidents
• 2023: 10,578 phone incidents
• 2024: 11,880 phone incidents (a record)
• Since 2022: 37,000+ phones taken — about 1,300 per month
• Right now: An estimated 20,000+ phones are still in Georgia prisons

Phone incidents went up, not down, after the blocking tech was put in place.

Key Takeaway: Phone seizures hit a record in 2024 despite the blocking technology — an estimated 20,000 phones remain in Georgia prisons.

Drones Filled the Gap

As the state blocked phones, smugglers turned to drones. Drone incidents shot up 600%.

• 2019: 43 drone incidents
• 2023: 297 drone incidents
• 2024: 283 drone incidents
• Since 2022: More than 1,000 drone incidents

In a major sting called Operation Skyhawk, police arrested 150 people. Eight of them were prison staff. They also seized 87 drones, 273 phones, and 185 pounds of tobacco.

Washington State Prison — where five people died in January 2026 — had 17 drone incidents since the end of 2023.

Key Takeaway: Drone smuggling shot up 600% as the state blocked phones — and eight prison staff were caught helping.

The 911 Problem at Macon State Prison

The phone-blocking system has a rule: it must let 911 calls through. People in Macon State Prison found a way to use this.

In 2024, people at Macon SP made 204 calls to 911 from blocked phones. None were real emergencies.

These calls overwhelmed and shut down the 911 center serving 13 Georgia counties. That means real emergencies in those areas may not have gotten through.

This is a flaw built into the system itself.

Key Takeaway: Fake 911 calls from Macon SP shut down the emergency call center for 13 counties.

Medical Devices Stop Working

The phone-blocking system doesn’t just block phones. It also knocks out wireless medical devices.

Heart monitors and other medical tools stop working when the system is turned on. This puts people with health problems at serious risk.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1976 (Estelle v. Gamble) that the state must give people in prison proper medical care. Shutting down the devices that monitor their health may break that rule.

If your loved one uses a heart monitor or other wireless medical device, the MAS system may be putting their life in danger.

Key Takeaway: Phone-blocking systems shut down heart monitors and medical devices — which may violate the constitutional right to medical care.

Who Are These Companies?

Three companies run phone-blocking systems in Georgia prisons. Here’s what we know about them:

Trace-Tek / ShawnTech (28 prisons)
– Based in Ohio. Been in prison tech since 1993.
– Claims to hold 86% of all phone-blocking licenses in the country.
– Runs the C-DOS system that destroys phones without court orders.
– Has destroyed more than 4,000 phones.

CellBlox / Securus / Aventiv (4 prisons)
– Owned by a company called Aventiv. Controlled by billionaire Tom Gores through Platinum Equity.
– Put more than $40 million into MAS systems.
– Runs systems at Macon SP (deadliest prison), Smith SP (warden arrested), and Telfair SP (warden stabbed).

Hawks Ear Communications (3 prisons)
– A two-person company with no real office.
– Its Fort Lauderdale address is an entertainment lawyer’s office.
– Its Atlanta address is a shared virtual office space.
– It has no website and no track record in prison tech.
– It ran for three years (2022–2025) without proper federal approval.
– It operates at Hancock SP, Phillips SP, and Valdosta SP — three of the seven deadliest prisons.

Key Takeaway: One vendor holds 86% of all national licenses. Another is a two-person company with no office that ran for years without federal approval.

No Public Records for $50 Million in Contracts

Georgia law requires open bidding for state contracts. But GPS could find no public records for any of these deals.

There was:
– No Request for Proposals (RFP) — the normal open bidding process
– No sole-source reason — the paper trail needed to skip bidding
– No contract award records — proof of who got what and for how much

This covers 35 prison contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. None appear on Georgia’s official buying records.

A new contract was posted in December 2025 for prison phone services. But the existing MAS deals — the $50 million already spent — have no paper trail.

Key Takeaway: There are no public records showing how $50 million in phone-blocking contracts were awarded.

The Real Problem: Not Enough Staff

Georgia’s prisons have a staffing crisis. Tech can’t fix it.

• 2,600 guard jobs are empty out of 7,587 total spots. That means about 1 in 3 guard positions has no one in it.
• 82.7% of new guards leave within their first year. More than 8 out of 10 don’t last 12 months.

The prison budget grew 44% — from about $1.13 billion to $1.62 billion — between 2022 and 2026. The Governor put in $603 million over 18 months.

But killings more than doubled in the same time. More money went in. More people died.

South Carolina’s experience is telling. That state found that its 25% guard vacancy rate was the main cause of violence — not cell phones. Georgia’s vacancy rate is even worse at about 34%.

Key Takeaway: One in three guard jobs sits empty and more than 8 out of 10 new guards quit in their first year — no amount of technology can fix that.

How South Carolina Did It Differently

South Carolina also had a deadly phone-related crisis. In 2018, seven people were killed and 17 were hurt in a riot at Lee Correctional.

South Carolina spent $550,000 per year on phone-blocking tech. Georgia spent about 90 times more.

South Carolina’s results were better:
– 800+ phones disabled since July 2023
– Approved phone calls went up 68%

But even South Carolina found that tech alone wasn’t enough. Violence still rose. The state found that its 25% guard vacancy rate was the main driver of danger.

Key Takeaway: South Carolina spent 90 times less than Georgia and got better results — but still found that staffing, not tech, was the real problem.

What This Means for Your Family

If someone you love is in a Georgia prison, here’s what you need to know:

1. Phone access is being cut off. Your loved one may not be able to reach you. This is by design.
2. Violence is getting worse. The state’s own numbers show killings at record levels.
3. Medical devices may not work. If your loved one has a heart monitor or similar device, ask questions now.
4. Guard shortages are the real danger. One in three guard jobs is empty. That means fewer eyes on what’s happening inside.
5. Communication shutoffs trigger violence. The evidence shows that cutting off contact makes things more dangerous — not less.

You have the right to ask your state representatives about these findings. You can ask why $50 million was spent with no public records. You can ask why killings doubled while the budget grew.

Glossary

• MAS (Managed Access System): Tech that blocks cell phones in prisons by creating a fake cell network. It reads each phone’s ID and decides if it’s allowed.
• C-DOS (Cellular Denial of Service): A system that permanently destroys phones. The company says it does this without needing a court order.
• CIS (Contraband Interdiction System): The federal license needed to run phone-blocking systems in prisons.
• IMEI: A unique ID number on every phone. The blocking system reads this to decide if a phone is allowed.
• 911 Passthrough: A rule that says the blocking system must still let 911 calls through — even from blocked phones.
• DAS (Distributed Antenna System): The network of antennas inside a prison that the blocking system uses.
• RFP (Request for Proposals): The normal process where the state asks companies to bid on a contract. No RFPs were found for these deals.
• GDC: Georgia Department of Corrections — the state agency that runs Georgia’s prisons.
• Estelle v. Gamble (1976): A Supreme Court case that says the state must give people in prison proper medical care. Blocking medical devices may break this rule.
• VPN: A tool that hides internet traffic. People in prison used VPNs over WiFi to get around the phone blocks — until the state shut it down on January 6, 2026.

Read the Source Document

Read the full GPS research document (PDF)

This post is based on GPS internal research dated April 3, 2026. All numbers come from that document and were checked against GDC records, FCC filings, and the GPS homicide database.

Other Versions of This Report

We wrote this report for different audiences:

• For Legislators — Policy-focused version with budget details and recommendations
• For Media — Press-ready version with key findings and data points
• For Advocates — Detailed version with legal analysis and action items