Prison Oversight & Conditions

2024 Georgia Senate Study Committee on the Department of Corrections — Final Report (SR 570)

81 Data Points 7 Sources 34 Entities Research Date: Jul 1, 2026

The Georgia Senate Study Committee (SR 570) conducted five meetings in 2024 examining safety and welfare in Georgia Department of Corrections facilities, hearing testimony from GDC leadership, private prison operators, and advocacy organizations. Key findings include GDC overseeing ~49,000 inmates with 31% validated gang members and 75% entering for violent crimes, severe staffing shortages (47% vacancy rate among funded security positions), and significant contraband challenges (37,000+ cell phones confiscated since 2022). Advocacy groups including the Southern Center for Human Rights and National Incarceration Association raised concerns about overdose deaths not captured in recidivism data, reduced transparency around inmate deaths, solitary confinement litigation, and rising homicide/suicide rates, while the committee ultimately recommended single-cell conversions, mental health investment, and officer recruitment reforms.

Where this research is used

This page is a research collection: individual facts drawn from the sources listed further down, each traced to where it came from. A research topic brings many collections together into one overview of an issue. The facts on this page feed these 12 topics; open one to see how they fit with the rest of the evidence.

Communications & Technology

Georgia's prison communications system runs through a single dominant vendor, Securus Technologies, that sells the phone service, supplies the tablets, moves the money, and operates the cell-phone blocking equipment at four state prisons — while paying Georgia a 59.6% commission on every call. Families pay for that arrangement at every step: per-minute calls, email stamps, money-transfer fees, music and e-book markups, and roughly $115 to $135 a month in estimated communications costs. The state has spent approximately $50 million through fiscal year 2026 blocking contraband phones even as phone-related incidents rose from 8,966 in 2019 to 11,880 in 2024, and its own records on the contracts that govern all of it remain largely undisclosed.

3,368 data points

Facility Conditions & Infrastructure

Georgia's prison system is not merely old — it is operating past the end of its engineered life, and the record shows what that means in practice: locks that do not hold, plumbing that delivers sewage into living areas, housing units without light or cooling, and a capacity math GDC manages by publishing a number other than the one the buildings were designed for. An internal GDC evaluation found 29 of 34 state prisons needing critical upgrades, the average prison is over 30 years old against a 15–20 year design life, and the Justice Department's October 2024 findings concluded the resulting conditions violate the Eighth Amendment. The state's answer has been a $600 million infusion, a single-cell conversion directive, and a new Washington County prison whose cost estimate has already passed $436.7 million — none of which changes a building's condition this year.

7,758 data points

Healthcare & Medical Neglect

Georgia's prison medical system fails people at every stage — at intake, at sick call, in segregation, in the mental health unit, and on the death certificate. The federal investigation released in October 2024 found ten-month waits for a psychiatrist, roughly one in ten people with hepatitis C receiving treatment, and wounds dressed by other prisoners with toothpaste and dirt; the state's own written policies cut meals to two a day on more than 110 days a year and schedule medical rounds in segregation three times a week. This page collects what the record shows about medical, mental health, and nutritional care in Georgia prisons, names the dead the state has stopped explaining, and marks the places where the data simply stops.

4,164 data points

Mortality & Deaths in Custody

Georgia's prison system counts its dead reliably and names them reluctantly. In 2024, 333 people died in Georgia Department of Corrections custody — the deadliest year on the state record — and the department's own single-methodology series matches independent tracking to within a handful of deaths in every year since 2015. What the numbers do not carry is cause, facility, or identity: since March 2024 the department has withheld cause of death, misclassification of homicides and overdoses is documented by the federal Department of Justice and by GPS's own research, and the state's coroner system is not required to autopsy anyone who dies in custody.

7,815 data points

Oversight & Accountability

Georgia operates one of the largest state prison systems in the country with no independent ombudsman, no inspector general for corrections, no outside monitors with a right of entry, and no oversight bill that has ever passed its legislature. Every accountability mechanism that exists — PREA compliance, internal investigations, mortality review, accreditation — is housed inside the Georgia Department of Corrections and answers to the Commissioner it is meant to check. The result, documented across 108 GPS research collections, is a system that reported 6 homicides in a month when its own records showed at least 18, that passed 273 consecutive sexual-abuse audits with zero failed standards while the U.S. Department of Justice found assault rampant, and that has faced a 93-page federal findings letter, 82 recommended remedies, a contempt order, and daily court fines without a single enforceable reform.

15,407 data points

Policy & Advocacy

Georgia's policy and advocacy landscape is defined by a paradox: a decade of bipartisan sentencing reform that measurably reduced incarceration and racial disparity, followed by a sharp reversal toward prison construction, surveillance technology, and record spending attached to no independent oversight. Legislative victories on wrongful conviction compensation, survivor justice, and out-of-time appeals sit alongside bills that died in the last minutes of session — an independent prison ombudsman, restrictive housing limits, parole transparency — and a post-conviction system the Chief Justice of Georgia calls 'a mess' that only the legislature can fix. The 2026 statewide elections and an unresolved federal investigation are the two live pressure points advocates are organizing around.

7,412 data points

Population & Demographics

Georgia holds roughly 53,000 people in state custody — the fourth-largest state prison population in the country — after a decades-long buildup, one pandemic-era collapse, and a rebound that has carried the count back toward its pre-COVID level. Black Georgians are about 31 to 33 percent of the state and 58 to 61 percent of its prisoners, and one in five people in a Georgia prison is serving a life sentence. The series that describe this population do not agree with each other, and Georgia publishes no count at all for some of the people it holds.

11,185 data points

Recidivism & Reentry

Georgia reports one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country — an official 25–27% three-year felony reconviction rate — but that figure counts only reconvictions, only within three years, and excludes people who die, who return on technical violations, or who are rearrested without conviction. National data that count arrests find 83% of released state prisoners rearrested within nine years, and GPS's own research library estimates Georgia's real return-to-incarceration rate is closer to 50%. This page tracks what the state measures, what it doesn't, what the evidence says actually reduces recidivism, and how thin Georgia's reentry infrastructure remains relative to the 12,000–16,000 people it releases each year.

12,264 data points

Reform Models & Programs

Georgia operates a statewide cognitive-skills curriculum for parolees, twelve reentry and cognitive programming centers, contracted addiction treatment, step-down units inside its Tier segregation system, and an earned-time credit statute — and the national evidence base for each of those program types is unusually strong. What the record does not contain is current, published, rigorously designed outcome data for most of Georgia's own programs, and the state's direct spending on them amounts to a fraction of one percent of the prison budget. This page sets out what the research verifies, what Georgia actually runs, what it spends, what other states have achieved, and where the evidence stops.

12,091 data points

Solitary Confinement

Georgia operates one of the largest and least-counted systems of long-term isolation in the United States — a three-tier segregation architecture the Department of Corrections implemented statewide in August 2013 and has never published a population figure for. The unit GDC does count, the Special Management Unit, held 78 percent of its prisoners in isolation for more than two years and 39 percent with a diagnosed mental illness as of July 2017, while the far larger Tier II program has no outer time limit written into policy at all. Federal litigation has reformed Tier III conditions and produced contempt findings against GDC; the program that holds more people, with fewer protections, has been litigated by no one.

1,575 data points

Staffing Crisis

Georgia's prison system has been running at roughly half the correctional officer strength it is funded for since mid-2021, with vacancy rates above 70 percent at a cluster of the largest and most violent facilities. The state's own consultants called the situation an emergency at 20 of 34 prisons, and the U.S. Department of Justice found the resulting absence of supervision unconstitutional. Churn rather than hiring is the core problem: 82.7 percent of new officers leave within their first year, which means the workforce is effectively rebuilt every two years and never accumulates experience.

8,680 data points

Violence & Safety

A three-year federal investigation concluded in October 2024 that Georgia's prison system violates the Eighth Amendment by failing to protect incarcerated people from violence and sexual abuse, documenting 142 homicides between 2018 and 2023 and finding that gangs control housing units while officers are absent for hours at a time. Independent counts put the death toll far above the state's own figures, and the gap between them is itself part of the story: Georgia's violence data is produced by the same understaffed, unmonitored system it describes.

9,940 data points

49 49 ACA-accredited facilities in Georgia 85 85 total correctional facilities operated by Geor… 49,000 GDC oversees about 49,000 inmates as of August 20… 31% 31% of inmates are validated Security Threat Grou… 14,000 14,000 inmates identified with mental health needs 13,000 FY2024 releases vs admissions

Key Findings

The most impactful data from this research collection. Tap a card for the full finding, GPS commentary on why it matters, and its source.

All Data Points

81 verified data points extracted from primary sources.

49 ACA-accredited facilities in Georgia Statistic

Commissioner Oliver highlighted the 49 facilities accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) across the state, which provides best practices and audits accredited facilities to specified standards.

49 facilities

facilities operations

85 total correctional facilities operated by Georgia Statistic

The state operates 85 total correctional facilities including but not limited to 35 state facilities and probation detention centers.

85 facilities vs. 35 state facilities and probation detention centers

facilities operations

ACA accreditation renewal cycle Policy

Accreditation by the ACA is a one-year process that requires renewal every three years.

operations facilities

GDC oversees about 49,000 inmates as of August 2024 Statistic

GDC oversees about 49,000 inmates as of August 2024 which is approaching pre-pandemic levels due to efforts by the courts to adjudicate their backlog of criminal cases, with the average inmate being about 30-40 years old.

49,000 inmates

demographics operations

12% increase in violent population since 2012 reforms Trend

There has been a 12% increase in the proportion of the violent population since criminal justice reforms were undertaken in 2012.

demographics violence

31% of inmates are validated Security Threat Group (gang) offenders Statistic

The Commissioner alerted the committee that about 31% of the total inmate population are validated Security Threat Group (STG) offenders who have gang affiliation.

31%

gangs demographics

14,000 inmates identified with mental health needs Statistic

The Commissioner acknowledged that about 14,000 inmates system-wide have identified mental health needs.

14,000 inmates

mental_health demographics

Mental health intake evaluation timeframe Policy

Mental evaluations are done over seven to 14 days of intake to determine whether a person has a preexisting condition, using individual counselors and approved evaluation techniques. Inmates in a crisis phase (suicidal or homicidal ideation) undergo 30 to 90-day phases of further evaluation.

mental_health policy

FY2024 releases vs admissions Statistic

In fiscal year 2024, about 13,000 inmates were released compared to about 15,000 admissions.

13,000 releases vs. 15,000 admissions

reentry demographics

45,000 career/technical/educational certificates in FY2024 Statistic

During FY2024, the department helped individuals achieve about 45,000 career, technical, and educational certificates.

45,000 certificates

reentry program

About a quarter of inmate population not from Georgia Statistic

Assistant Commissioner Sanders offered that about a quarter of the population is not from Georgia, making documentation efforts significant, with securing a birth certificate often the first step to gaining any documentation.

25%

reentry demographics

70 medical appointments per day per facility Statistic

GDC facilities provide about 70 medical appointments per day per facility from within the facilities, not including outside visits at nearby medical facilities.

70 appointments per day per facility

medical

100,000 prescription medications administered per month Statistic

State correctional facilities administer 100,000 prescription medications per month whether in the form of keep-on-person blister packs, pill call, supervised nursing, or otherwise depending on type of medication.

100,000 prescriptions per month

medical

Seven close security prisons statewide Statistic

The state has seven close security prisons statewide, which include individuals who represent an escape risk or have a history of assault, dangerous, or serious crimes. Each close security prison is at least 30 years old.

7 prisons

facilities operations

Cell phones described as deadly weapons in prisons Finding

The Commissioner offered his opinion that cell phones are deadly weapons inside of prisons. The Department is undertaking anti-drone technology measures such as detection devices.

contraband operations

Federal jammers not allowed for states Legal fact

Sen. Albers elaborated that the federal government implements jammers at its prisons but does not allow states to do the same due to federal regulations.

contraband policy operations

Lee Arrendale hosts nation's first all-female firefighting team Case detail

Lee Arrendale, the primary female diagnostic and entry facility, boasts the nation's first all-female firefighting team.

facilities program

West Central substance use recovery and mental health program Policy

West Central provides a substance use recovery and mental health stabilization program that allows inmates to complete a nine-month treatment plan prior to being moved to another facility.

drugs mental_health program

Only one female inmate under death sentence Statistic

Lee Arrendale and Pulaski act as close security facilities for female inmates, but only one offender is considered UDS (under death sentence) at this time.

1 inmate under death sentence

demographics facilities

Meth is prevalent cause for needing treatment Finding

Watson stated anecdotally that meth is a prevalent cause for needing treatment, but they will provide exact numbers for the committee on substance use in prisons.

drugs

Drug-soaked paper 'strips' entering through mail Finding

Because drugs sometimes come through the mail in the form of drug-soaked paper called 'strips,' the GDC is working to centralize mail facilities and use technology that identifies those substances. Much of the drug crime inside prisons is organized by gangs both inside and outside the prisons.

drugs contraband gangs

Autry facility renovation cost $70 million Statistic

The Autry facility was taken offline for a broad renovation and is being re-populated gradually. Updates and hardening included its water system, lock and control systems, and other technology as a single budget item of $70 million.

$70.0M

facilities budget

New comparable facility costs about $1.2 billion Statistic

When asked how renovations and hardening compare to building a comparable new facility, the department responded that a new facility costs about $1.2 billion, including about 1,500 beds, single-man cells, pre-cast concrete walls, hardening, and some technology.

$1.2B

facilities budget

Upcoming facility $842 million total Statistic

One upcoming facility with 1,500 to 1,800 beds depending on bunking is $700 million in construction and $842 million total for technology and other necessities.

$842.0M vs. 700,000,000 construction only

facilities budget

Recommended maximum facility capacity of 1,500 inmates Finding

Commissioner Oliver stated that the state should limit future correctional facilities to a maximum capacity of 1,500 inmates, noting smaller facilities result in greater control and the most successful inmates.

facilities policy

Smith State Prison reduced violence via single-cell transition Case detail

The Commissioner pointed to Smith State Prison which saw reduced violence by reducing its population and transitioning to single-man cells. Single-man cells are the modern-day best practice for the health and safety of inmates.

violence facilities conditions

Four private prison facilities in Georgia Statistic

Four total facilities in the state are operated by GEO and CoreCivic. Those companies both own their facilities and operate through a contract bidding process, with an on-site GDC monitor who ensures continuous adherence to policy and procedure.

4 private facilities

facilities operations

CoreCivic partnership with GDC since 1998 Case detail

CoreCivic has been in partnership with the Georgia Department of Corrections since 1998. Private prisons generally began operating in the United States in the 1980s due to a number of facilities being in federal receivership.

operations facilities

CoreCivic sold McRae facility to state in 2022 Case detail

A part of CoreCivic's business model is building facilities that it eventually sells to the state, as it did with the McRae facility in Helena, GA in 2022. The company does not use the state's appropriation of bond system to build.

facilities operations budget

GEO Group operates two state and three federal facilities in Georgia Statistic

GEO Group operates two state detention facilities in Georgia. In addition, GEO operates two federal facilities for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and one for the U.S. Marshal Service. The company employs 800 people statewide.

800 employees

facilities staffing operations

GEO Group operating costs up ~40% over five years Trend

GEO Group's operation costs over the last five years have increased about 40 percent. GEO stated it has pay parity when compared to public prisons.

budget staffing

GEO Riverbend staffing and turnover Statistic

The company has 86 percent staffing generally with a 30 percent turnover rate. Since 2016, GEO reports 66% average employment within 12 months of release. Against a 39 percent national recidivism rate, GEO has a 25 percent rate for its Riverbend facility.

25% vs. 39 national recidivism rate

staffing reentry operations

Empty 1,800-bed Folkston facility Case detail

GEO Group has an empty facility at Folkston which was an ICE center with about five personnel responsible for maintaining the empty, 1,800-bed facility.

facilities operations

Total health services budgeted at ~$355 million Statistic

Total health services including dental and pharmacy are budgeted at about $355 million according to the Commissioner. GDC covers about 55,000 individuals annually.

$355.0M

medical budget

Seven facilities have privatized food services Policy

GDC is experiencing savings at the seven facilities where it has privatized food services. A statewide assessment has not been undertaken to determine the effects of privatization efforts at all facilities.

operations budget

Average new corrections officer salary $44,000 Statistic

The average salary for new corrections officers is $44,000 statewide with enhancements depending on location and certifications. Close Security/Special Mission (CSM) officers receive a higher average amount.

$44,000

staffing budget

Current academy class of ~200 correctional officers Statistic

The current academy class of correctional officers includes about 200 individuals. The basic academy for new officers is five weeks.

200 officers

staffing

Contraband more often introduced by visitors than staff Finding

The Department stated that contraband is more often introduced by visitors than it is by any staff. Employees bringing in contraband with intent to provide it to an inmate can result in immediate dismissal and criminal charges.

contraband corruption

GDC vacancy: 2,600 open positions of 10,919 capacity Statistic

GDC had about 1,700 open positions pre-Covid and about 3,500 openings during the vacancy peak. Currently, GDC has 2,600 open positions with a 10,919 total employee capacity, 7,587 of which are security officers.

2,600 open positions vs. 10,919 total employee capacity

staffing

Over 800 contraband smuggling arrests in FY2023-2024 Statistic

The Office of Professional Standards made over 800 arrests during fiscal years 2023 and 2024 for the smuggling of contraband into GDC facilities, mostly by civilians.

800 arrests

contraband investigations

151 drone incident arrests last year Statistic

There is an escalating number of drone incidents which resulted in 151 arrests last year.

151 arrests

contraband investigations

Over 37,000 cell phones confiscated since 2022 Statistic

Over 37,000 devices have been confiscated from inside the prisons since 2022 with an average of 1,300 being found monthly.

37,000 devices vs. 1,300 average monthly confiscations

contraband operations

Commissary spending limit of $75 weekly Policy

Inmates are allowed personal property from the prison commissary if it does not exceed a weekly value of $75 in the aggregate and the size of a specified locker box. Commissary accounts are managed and audited monthly by Department staff.

policy conditions

75% of inmates enter for a violent crime Statistic

The Department highlighted that 75 percent of inmates enter the system due to a violent crime, an increase attributable to criminal justice reform reducing the number of individuals entering prison for non-violent convictions.

75%

violence demographics

Violent incidents down since 2015 but severity up Trend

Overall, annual violent incidents in facilities have reduced since 2015, but the severity such as the use of weapons or number of people involved has increased.

violence trend

GDC death investigation and lockdown procedure Policy

When any death is discovered, a facility is placed in lockdown, crime scene investigators are brought to the scene, and the deceased is sent to the coroner and crime lab. GDC investigates deaths unless an officer is suspected to be involved, at which point GBI oversees the investigation. Deaths fall into categories of homicide, suicide, accidental, executions, natural causes, and unknown.

death investigations policy

Octavius Holiday released in 2020 after 16 years Case detail

Octavius Holiday, a former inmate, was released in 2020 after 16 years in Georgia facilities for armed robbery convictions. He complimented the Department's faith-based and leadership programs and acknowledged that staff reductions due to Covid-19 were noticeable and that inmate populations are becoming more violent.

reentry conditions

Guidehouse system-wide study underway Methodology note

GDC is awaiting results of a system-wide study of its operations conducted by Guidehouse, Inc. that should include a comprehensive analysis of salary structures related to recruitment and retention, undertaken with the Governor's office and expected by end of December 2024.

staffing budget operations

GDC lost ~2,000 officers during COVID, vacancy hit 50% Statistic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency lost about 2,000 entry-level correctional officers and the vacancy rate rose to about 50 percent. Efforts have reduced that vacancy rate to about 47 percent of the 7,500 total funded security positions. About 2,000 correctional officer positions are unfunded in the agency's budget.

47% vs. 50 peak COVID vacancy rate

staffing

Cost of hiring and training per cadet ~$3,000 Statistic

Senator Jackson inquired about the cost of hiring and training personnel, which is about $3,000 per cadet not including salaries.

$3,000

staffing budget

Five-week academy: 208 hours curriculum Policy

The five-week academy occurs at one of five locations across Georgia. The curriculum is 208 hours, of which 149 are mandated by the state or certifying entity. The Department is planning to extend the academy to six weeks including crisis intervention training as of July 1, 2025.

staffing policy

Background checks by ~140 agents across three regions Policy

The background check process is undertaken by about 140 agents across three regions within the agency. Agents interview individuals identified by applicants and conduct social media checks for disqualifying connections such as gang affiliation.

staffing operations

About 10 GDC facilities not ACA accredited Statistic

Most GDC facilities are ACA accredited, but of the 10 or so that are not, the Commissioner attributed it to aging infrastructure rather than failures of policies or procedures.

10 facilities

facilities operations

Intake within 15 days, 200-250 per week Statistic

GDC will intake an individual within 15 days of receiving notification from the county with an average of 200-250 intakes per week. Offender records are not fully digitized aside from medical records and are held by State Archives.

225 intakes per week (average)

operations demographics

Substance abuse programs at 10 facilities Policy

The Inmate Services Division oversees substance abuse programs located at 10 facilities statewide, along with behavioral programming, religious services, and library services.

drugs program

26% recidivism within three years; vocational cuts it by half Statistic

Among the general population, about 26% of released inmates are reconvicted within three years, but that rate drops if the individual completed educational, career, or cognitive programming. Vocational programming in particular reduces recidivism by half. Increased recidivism is seen among those in residential substance abuse treatment programs, attributed to addiction.

26% vs. 50 reduction from vocational programming

reentry program

Augusta University medical records contract not fulfilled Case detail

Senator Albers inquired about efforts to recover funds from an unfulfilled medical records contract involving Augusta University. Because the university was responsible for contracting with the supplier instead of GDC, the agency lacked direct control over outcomes. GDC now ensures more rigorous performance metrics in contracts.

medical budget operations

Healthcare contract transition from Wellpath to Centurion Case detail

Since the most recent contract was awarded, GDC noted the transition from Wellpath to Centurion for services was smooth within the 60 days the contract was awarded. Wellpath notified GDC of its intent not to renew without increasing pricing, triggering the new RFP process.

medical operations

Over 50% of pharmacy budget on Hepatitis and HIV drugs Statistic

Over 50 percent of the agency's pharmacy budget goes toward Hepatitis and HIV treatment drugs, typically begun after a person receives their diagnostic medical exams. The pharmacy contract is currently held by CorrectRX. GDC coordinates with Ryan White HIV programs for ongoing treatment after release.

50%

medical budget

Federal benefits suspended for inmates Legal fact

Mr. Sauls clarified that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security programs are suspended for inmates; however, some inmates are eligible for a Medicaid waiver where overnight hospitalization is necessary.

medical policy

GDC has about 150 non-healthcare contracts Statistic

Outside of healthcare, GDC has about 150 contracts varying from pest control to vending machines to laundry, audited and reviewed at least annually to ensure market pricing and technical ability.

150 contracts

operations budget

HVAC convenience contract covers only 8 of 58 locations Statistic

One HVAC convenience contract is in place for maintenance, but it only covers eight of the agency's 58 locations. The current contract is held by CGL and is about $5 million for labor not including material costs. All facilities have AC in administrative facilities, medical units, and mental health housing, while GDC is adding AC to other facilities.

8 locations covered vs. 58 total GDC locations

facilities conditions budget

Kate Boccia's son died of fentanyl overdose in 2021 Case detail

Kate Boccia stated her son died in 2021 of a fentanyl overdose during the typical three-year recidivism period. She noted that individuals who die within that period are not captured in recidivism datasets, identifying a data gap.

overdose death drugs reentry

Deaths during recidivism period not captured in datasets Data gap

Individuals who die within the three-year recidivism period (such as from overdose) are not captured in recidivism datasets, identifying a gap in how outcomes are measured.

overdose death reentry

Parole board conducted 17,600 reviews in 2023 with five members Statistic

Kate Boccia questioned the 17,600 reviews created by the parole board's five members in 2023 and wished to see release of individuals with nonviolent or marijuana-related offenses. She stated that 12 percent of the returning prison population for parole violations are new offenses while the rest are technical violations.

17,600 reviews vs. 12 percent of parole returns that are new offenses

parole policy

SCHR: 33 homicides in GDC facilities 2010-2014 Statistic

The Southern Center for Human Rights stated that 33 homicides occurred within GDC facilities from 2010 to 2014 and exceeded the rates of other southern states.

33 homicides

death violence

21 killed and 19 suicides in GA prisons Jan-Sep 2020 Statistic

Ms. Hollie pointed to the period of January to September 2020 where 21 people were killed in Georgia prisons in addition to 19 suicides during that same time period. Since 2020, annual homicide and suicide rates within GDC facilities have remained at similar levels.

21 homicides vs. 19 suicides in same period

death violence mental_health

Georgia fourth per capita in incarceration rate (2022) Statistic

Ms. Hollie presented a graph on incarceration rates showing Georgia was fourth per capita among a list of states, the U.S. overall, and other countries when measured in 2022.

4 rank per capita

demographics

GDC ended press releases on inmate deaths Finding

Ms. Hollie expressed concern over GDC ending the practice of making press releases when someone dies in its facilities, citing an absence of transparency, and wished to see the practice restored with limited information respecting ongoing investigations.

death policy

GDC removed manner of death from mortality review reports Data gap

Ms. Hollie stated that GDC has changed its publication of mortality review reports so that manner of death is no longer included when requested through open records.

death policy investigations

SCHR litigation on Special Management Unit solitary confinement Legal fact

SCHR reached a settlement ensuring minimum time out-of-cell and access to programming at the Special Management Unit at Jackson Diagnostic. Ms. Hollie stated that violation of that settlement agreement was found by a federal judge in April 2024, and the case is subject to ongoing litigation. Dr. Craig Haney offered a harsh assessment of the unit in 2015.

solitary legal conditions

SCHR 2016 lawsuit over sepsis death Legal fact

The Southern Center for Human Rights participated in a 2016 lawsuit arising in part from a lack of medical staff to address an individual who died of sepsis.

medical death legal staffing

SCHR represented shackled postpartum women Legal fact

After Lee Arrendale Prison was transitioned to a women's facility, SCHR represented postpartum women who alleged to have been shackled against state and federal law and given inadequate medical care in the days and weeks after delivery.

medical legal conditions

Georgia State Prison solitary confinement until 2022 closure Finding

Ms. Hollie pointed to the use of solitary confinement at Georgia State Prison, a special mission mental health facility, until its closing in 2022. Solitary confinement was defined as an individual being held in their cell for 22 or more hours per day.

solitary conditions mental_health facilities

US DOJ report on conditions in Georgia prisons Finding

Kate Boccia referred to a U.S. Department of Justice report on conditions within Georgia prisons during her testimony to the committee.

conditions investigations

Matthew Charles: First Step Act beneficiary Case detail

Matthew Charles, Senior Policy Advisor with Families Against Mandatory Minimums, stated in 1996 he was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for nonviolent offenses. After serving 22 years, he was the first beneficiary of the First Step Act signed by President Trump in 2018.

legal reentry policy

Federal Prison Oversight Act of 2024 model Legal fact

Mr. Charles spoke on the Federal Prison Oversight Act (FPOA) of 2024, which calls for independent prison oversight through an ombudsman and regular inspections by the Inspector General so corrective actions for health and safety issues can be taken within 60 days. He noted the oversight model exists in Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with ombudsmen independent of corrections agencies typically reporting to attorneys general, governors, and legislatures.

legal policy investigations

Georgia recidivism rate ~26% as of 2021 Statistic

Cliff Hogan, Director of Data Management and Research, testified that the department tracks recidivism based on whether an individual has a felony conviction within three years of release. As of 2021, the recidivism rate is about 26 percent in Georgia, not including arrests without convictions or technical violations. Recidivism rates reduce up to 50 percent for those who go through GDC programming.

26% vs. 50 reduction with programming

reentry program

Recommendation: convert to single-person cells Policy

The Study Committee recommended converting all existing facilities and constructing all new facilities to single person, single cell facilities.

facilities policy conditions

Recommendation: audit contract renewals for runaway costs Policy

The Committee recommended asking the Georgia Department of Audits to review all contract renewals for the past five years to see if there is a pattern of runaway costs by any vendors.

budget operations policy

Recommendation: federal jamming technology and mental health Policy

The Committee recommended increasing mental health services for staff and incarcerated, investing in officer recruitment/retention, implementing a pay study for all GDC employees, advocating the federal government to allow state prisons to use cell phone and drone jamming technology, leveraging public-private partnerships, prioritizing facility hardening, and ensuring wardens adhere to consistent policies.

policy mental_health staffing contraband facilities

Sources

7 cited sources backing this research.

Primary Legislation

Senate Resolution 570, 157th General Assembly, Regular Session (Georgia 2024)

— Georgia General Assembly (Jan 1, 2024)

Primary Official report

SR 570 Study Committee Meeting Five Testimony (December 13, 2024)

Tyrone Oliver, Cliff Hogan — Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis (Dec 13, 2024)

Primary Official report

SR 570 Study Committee Meeting Four Testimony (November 22, 2024)

Alan Watson, Kate Boccia, Atteeyah Hollie, Matthew Charles — Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis (Nov 22, 2024)

Primary Official report

SR 570 Study Committee Meeting One Testimony (August 23, 2024)

Tyrone Oliver, Jerry Lankford, James Black — Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis (Aug 23, 2024)

Primary Official report

SR 570 Study Committee Meeting Three Testimony (November 15, 2024)

Tyrone Oliver — Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis (Nov 15, 2024)

Primary Official report

SR 570 Study Committee Meeting Two Testimony (August 28, 2024)

Tyrone Oliver, Octavius Holiday — Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis (Aug 28, 2024)

Primary Official report

U.S. Department of Justice Report on Conditions in Georgia Prisons

U.S. Department of Justice — U.S. Department of Justice (Jan 1, 2024)

Key Entities

Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.

American Correctional Association [organization]

Atteeyah Hollie [person]

Augusta University [organization]

Centurion [organization]

CGL [organization]

CoreCivic [organization]

CorrectRX [organization]

Craig Haney [person]

Families Against Mandatory Minimums [organization]

Federal Prison Oversight Act [legislation]

First Step Act [legislation]

GEO Group [organization]

Georgia Bureau of Investigation [organization]

Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts [organization]

Georgia Department of Corrections [organization]

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison [facility]

Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles [organization]

Georgia State Prison [facility]

Guidehouse [organization]

Kate Boccia [person]

Lee Arrendale State Prison [facility]

Matthew Charles [person]

National Incarceration Association [organization]

Octavius Holiday [person]

Randy Robertson [person]

Riverbend Correctional Facility [facility]

Senate Resolution 570 [legislation]

Smith State Prison [facility]

Southern Center for Human Rights [organization]

SR 570 Study Committee [organization]

Technical College System of Georgia [organization]

Tyrone Oliver [person]

U.S. Department of Justice [organization]

Wellpath [organization]