Legal & Constitutional
DOJ Investigation of Georgia Prisons: Violence, Safety & Constitutional Violations
This document is from the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) prisons, finding systemic constitutional violations including broken security infrastructure, dysfunctional classification and housing systems, gang control over prison operations, massive contraband problems (27,425 weapons and 12,483 cellphones recovered in under two years), severe underreporting of homicides and violent incidents, and widespread failures in incident investigation. The DOJ identifies deliberate indifference to incarcerated persons' safety, with specific case details of homicides resulting from classification failures, and recommends 82 minimum remedial measures. The findings reveal that less than 10% of fights and less than 23% of assaults were forwarded for investigation, and that GDC's mortality data systematically undercounts homicides by classifying obvious killings as 'unknown' for months or years.
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 6 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 vendor family — Securus Technologies for phone calls, its subsidiary JPay for tablets, email and money transfers — under a contract that pays the state 59.6 percent of gross call revenue. Families pay per-minute charges, per-stamp email fees, transfer fees and tablet content prices that bear little relation to consumer telecom costs, while the state simultaneously spends roughly $50 million on managed access systems meant to block the contraband phones that compete with that paid network. GPS's research finds the blocking approach has not reduced phone-related incidents, has produced no accountability for staff smuggling, and rests on tens of millions of dollars in procurement that left no public paper trail.
3,852 data points
Facility Conditions & Infrastructure
Georgia's prison system is physically failing: a stock of buildings whose average age exceeds 30 years and whose design life the state's own commissioner puts at 15 to 20, run at multiples of their original design capacity, with locks that do not lock, plumbing that does not drain, mold that is not removed and housing that is not cooled. A 2024 federal findings report, a 2024 Senate study committee and a December 2024 consultant assessment all reached the same conclusion in different words — that the physical plant is an emergency. The state's answer has been a $600 million construction-and-repair program whose own timelines, the commissioner has said, will run years past the funding window.
11,131 data points
Legal Standards & Case Law
The rules that decide whether a Georgia prison condition is unconstitutional come from a short list of Supreme Court decisions, a 2024 Eleventh Circuit ruling that raised the bar above every other circuit, and a 1996 statute that limits what a federal court can order even after a violation is proven. This page traces that framework from Estelle v. Gamble and Farmer v. Brennan through Guthrie v. Evans, Brown v. Plata and Wade v. McDade, and sets it against Georgia's own record: a federal takeover that ran from 1972 to 1999, a 2024 Department of Justice finding of Eighth Amendment violations across the system, and a docket of prisoner cases that mostly ends in summary judgment.
6,787 data points
Mortality & Deaths in Custody
Georgia has recorded more than 1,900 deaths in state prison custody since January 1, 2020, including a record 333 in 2024, and the state's own accounting has grown less informative as the deaths have risen. Georgia Prisoners' Speak's mortality registry — 1,918 deaths since 2020, 268 classified as homicides and 563 with no cause yet determined — is assembled from medical examiners, coroners, court records, news reporting and open-records productions, because the Georgia Department of Corrections stopped publishing cause of death in March 2024. The federal Department of Justice found in 2024 that the department underreports homicides, and the case record shows how people die inside: stabbed in understaffed dorms, strangled by cellmates, dead of dehydration behind a locked food flap, and dead of overdoses the state recorded as natural causes.
7,845 data points
Oversight & Accountability
Georgia operates one of the largest prison systems in the United States with no independent body empowered to inspect it, investigate it, or publish what it finds. Every accountability mechanism that exists — the Office of Professional Standards, the internal grievance process, the PREA audit cycle, the state's own ombudsman line — sits inside the Georgia Department of Corrections and answers to its Commissioner. This page documents that vacuum, the federal and judicial oversight that has episodically filled it, the data systems that keep its failures invisible, and the reform models that 19 to 20 other states and the District of Columbia have already adopted.
5,913 data points
Violence & Safety
Georgia's prisons kill people at a rate the U.S. Department of Justice measured as almost triple the national average in 2019 and roughly eight times the national rate by 2024, with 142 homicides reported between 2018 and 2023 alone. A three-year federal civil rights investigation concluded in October 2024 that the State violates the Eighth Amendment by failing to protect incarcerated people from violence and sexual abuse, in a system where correctional officer vacancies near 50 percent have let gangs control housing units and weapons are recovered by the tens of thousands. This page sets out the homicide data, the federal findings, the case-level record of how the violence happens, and the accounting failures that keep the official numbers low.
8,606 data points
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.
The finding
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC recovered 27,425 weapons from its prisons.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
With weapons this widespread, ordinary disputes can turn deadly. Yet fewer than 6% of weapon incidents were forwarded for investigation, so most armed violence in GDC prisons went unexamined.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
The finding
After an extensive investigation in Georgia's prisons housing people at the medium- and close-security levels, the Department of Justice concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe that the State of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Corrections violate the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
A reasonable-cause finding under the Eighth Amendment opens the way to federal enforcement: the State faces a 49-day CRIPA deadline to respond before a possible lawsuit, with the DOJ's 82 minimum remedial measures as the benchmark.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- U.S. Constitution, Eighth Amendment
- Van Riper v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc., 67 F. App'x 501 (10th Cir. 2003)
- Porter v. Clarke, 923 F.3d 348 (4th Cir. 2019)
- Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
The finding
Staff at a GDC prison reported that doors in the medical unit, including doors leading to administrative offices, have not had working locks for at least 17 years. Incarcerated people walk into the staff breakroom and steal food from the refrigerator on a regular basis.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
When doors do not lock, staff cannot control who moves where. If incarcerated people can freely enter a staff breakroom, the same broken infrastructure leaves others exposed to attack, which is part of the security failure behind the DOJ's findings.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
The finding
At one large medium-security prison, DOJ expert found that about 67% of the individuals surveyed in several different general population housing units were standing in front of cells other than those identified as theirs on GDC's roster, confirming that official cell-assignment records were not reliable.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
If GDC cannot tell who sleeps in which cell, it cannot keep rivals, gang members or vulnerable people apart. That is the kind of classification and housing failure the DOJ links to cellmate homicides.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
The finding
Over the six-year period from 2018 through 2023, GDC reported a total of 142 homicides in its prisons, with 48 in the first three years and a 95.8% increase in the latter three years, with 94 homicides.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
The near-doubling counts only what GDC itself recorded. The DOJ found additional homicides missing from GDC totals and obvious killings labelled 'unknown', so the actual toll is likely higher.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
The finding
Although GDC's security staffing saw some modest increases in 2023, with more staff hires than separations for the first time in years, violence remained a constant, with a record 35 homicides in the prisons by GDC's own reported numbers.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Even GDC's own count, which the DOJ found leaves out some killings, reached a new high in a year when hiring outpaced departures. Modest staffing gains did not coincide with fewer deaths.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
The finding
According to GDC's incident report records from 22 GDC prisons, less than 10% of fights from January 2022 to April 2023 were forwarded by the facility to OPS for investigation.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Fights that never reach OPS are left to facility-level review, if any, for which GDC has no centralized policies, part of the widespread failures in incident investigation the DOJ found.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
The finding
GDC's average CO vacancy rate was 49.3% in 2021, 56.3% in 2022, and 52.5% in 2023.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
With roughly half of officer posts empty, GDC cannot cover its housing units. The DOJ ties these gaps to single officers watching hundreds of beds, units left unsupervised, and a homicide victim with no staff check for 12 hours.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
All Data Points
172 verified data points extracted from primary sources.
Weapons recovered from GDC prisons Nov 2021-Aug 2023 Statistic
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC recovered 27,425 weapons from its prisons.
27,425 weapons
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
DOJ finds reasonable cause of Eighth Amendment violations in Georgia prisons Finding
After an extensive investigation in Georgia's prisons housing people at the medium- and close-security levels, the Department of Justice concludes that there is reasonable cause to believe that the State of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Corrections violate the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- U.S. Constitution, Eighth Amendment
- Van Riper v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc., 67 F. App'x 501 (10th Cir. 2003)
- Porter v. Clarke, 923 F.3d 348 (4th Cir. 2019)
- Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
Cellphones recovered from GDC prisons Nov 2021-Aug 2023 Statistic
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC recovered 12,483 cellphones from its prisons.
12,483 cellphones
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
Georgia has fourth-highest state prison population Statistic
Georgia is the eighth most populous state in the United States and has the fourth-highest state prison population.
4 rank among state prison populations
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Illegal drug items recovered from GDC prisons Nov 2021-Aug 2023 Statistic
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC recovered 2,016 illegal drug items from its prisons.
2,016 drug items
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
GDC incarcerates almost 50,000 people in 34 state and 4 private prisons Statistic
GDC incarcerates almost 50,000 people in 34 state-operated prisons and 4 private prisons, ranging in capacity from fewer than 500 to more than 2,500 beds.
50,000 incarcerated people (approximate)
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Drone sightings documented by GDC Nov 2021-Aug 2023 Statistic
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC documented 262 drone sightings at its prisons.
262 drone sightings
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
GDC operates 38 total prisons Statistic
GDC operates 34 state-operated prisons and 4 private prisons, totaling 38 prisons including men's medium- and close-security prisons, men's 'special mission' prisons, and women's prisons.
38 prisons
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Facilities Division website
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
Fence-line throw-overs documented by GDC Nov 2021-Aug 2023 Statistic
Between November 2021 and August 2023, GDC documented 346 fence-line throw-overs at its prisons.
346 throw-overs
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
Systemwide CO vacancy rate approximately 50% Statistic
Staffing levels vary across the prisons, with correctional officer vacancy rates around 50% systemwide and over 70% at ten of the largest facilities.
50% vs. 70 percent at ten largest facilities
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Non-working medical unit door locks for 17+ years Finding
Staff at a GDC prison reported that doors in the medical unit, including doors leading to administrative offices, have not had working locks for at least 17 years. Incarcerated people walk into the staff breakroom and steal food from the refrigerator on a regular basis.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Over 32,000 people classified medium security Statistic
More than 32,000 of GDC's population are classified as medium security.
32,000 people classified medium security
Padlocks used on cell doors violating national standards Finding
DOJ confirmed that GDC sometimes inappropriately uses padlocks on cell doors due to broken primary locks. Using padlocks on cell doors is a violation of national correctional standards. GDC's fire safety inspections have identified this as a violation. This practice exposes incarcerated people to unacceptable risk of harm in fire or other emergencies due to additional evacuation time.
Sources
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Over 11,600 people classified close security Statistic
More than 11,600 of GDC's population are classified as close security.
11,600 people classified close security
Fire safety systems non-operational in some prisons Finding
In some GDC prisons, entire fire safety systems or most alarms are nonoperational due to GDC's failure to fix them. For prisons with inoperable fire alarm systems, staff is required to conduct fire watch rounds every 30 minutes, but DOJ review of logbooks and audits confirmed these rounds do not always occur with the required frequency.
Sources
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Almost 10,000 serving life or life without parole Statistic
Almost 10,000 are serving a life sentence or life without parole; for the remainder, the average sentence is about 26 years.
10,000 people serving life or LWOP (approximate)
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
67% of surveyed individuals in wrong cells at medium-security prison Statistic
At one large medium-security prison, DOJ expert found that about 67% of the individuals surveyed in several different general population housing units were standing in front of cells other than those identified as theirs on GDC's roster, confirming that official cell-assignment records were not reliable.
67%
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Average sentence about 26 years for non-lifers Statistic
For those not serving life or life without parole, the average sentence is about 26 years.
26 years average sentence
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Calhoun State Prison homicide: 21-year-old killed by cellmate May 2022 Case detail
In May 2022, a 21-year-old man was killed by his cellmate at Calhoun State Prison following multiple failures in GDC's classification and housing systems. Staff moved the assailant out of segregation to general population and back to segregation without following procedures. The assailant requested a particular cell and staff housed him there. The next day, both cellmates told an orderly they wanted to be separated, which was communicated to an officer. One day later, an orderly saw the individual being beaten. The man died from blunt force trauma injuries and a stab wound to the neck. GDC closed its criminal investigation without a thorough administrative review. No discipline or counseling appeared in the personnel files of three employees whose errors contributed to the death.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC About GDC - State Prisons
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
GDC operates on $1.2 billion budget Statistic
GDC operates on a $1.2 billion budget.
$1.2B
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report
STG member killed non-gang cellmate in segregation October 2022 Case detail
On October 3, 2022, a validated STG member was placed in a segregation cell with a non-gang member who was classified as sexually aggressive. The STG member killed the cellmate. Putting two individuals with these classification factors together in a segregation cell would not normally be defensible under a classification scheme.
Sources
- GDC About GDC - State Prisons
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- GDC Next Generation Assessment (NGA) Classification Tool
Georgia prison population more than doubled since 1990 Trend
Since 1990, Georgia's prison population has more than doubled, from a little over 21,000 in 1990 to almost 50,000.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Over 14,000 validated STG members in GDC system Statistic
A small number of central-office personnel are assigned to investigate, track, and respond to incidents involving more than 14,000 validated STG (security threat group) members in the GDC system.
14,000 validated STG members
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Next Generation Assessment (NGA) Classification Tool
142 homicides in GDC prisons from 2018-2023 Statistic
Over the six-year period from 2018 through 2023, GDC reported a total of 142 homicides in its prisons, with 48 in the first three years and a 95.8% increase in the latter three years, with 94 homicides.
142 homicides
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Gang war erupted at multiple prisons September-October 2022 Case detail
In September 2022, following the homicide at Phillips State Prison of a young Bloods member, a gang war erupted at multiple GDC prisons. With Bloods attacking Crips in the several days that followed, twenty incarcerated people were hospitalized following gang-related violence, including 13 from Macon State Prison on October 2, 2022, 5 from Ware State Prison on October 1, 2022, and 2 from Coffee State Prison on October 1, 2022.
Sources
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
95.8% increase in homicides from first to second three-year period Statistic
GDC reported 48 homicides from 2018-2020 and 94 homicides from 2021-2023, a 95.8% increase.
95.8%
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Smith State Prison gang fight after warden's arrest Feb 2023 Case detail
Hours after the arrest of Smith State Prison's Warden Brian Adams was announced on February 8, 2023, a gang fight broke out in a housing unit at Smith. Nine incarcerated persons were injured from stabbing wounds, six requiring hospitalization, with two airlifted. Incarcerated persons videorecorded the fighting and posted footage on social media showing groups chasing and stabbing others. Almost 90 minutes elapsed between when staff first observed the fighting and when the first wounded person was airlifted to a hospital.
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) Investigations
Record 35 homicides in GDC prisons in 2023 Statistic
Although GDC's security staffing saw some modest increases in 2023, with more staff hires than separations for the first time in years, violence remained a constant, with a record 35 homicides in the prisons by GDC's own reported numbers.
35 homicides
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Ware State Prison gang melee February 2022 Case detail
In early February 2022, after a Bloods gang member was stabbed inside a housing unit at Ware State Prison, Bloods members attacked 'Hispanic' gang members on the yard. At least eight gang members were involved; 11 knives were later found. Seven men were injured with stabbing wounds, four requiring hospitalization.
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Assault on Human Rights
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
GDC homicide numbers by year 2018-2023 Statistic
According to GDC mortality reports, in 2018 there were 7 homicides systemwide; in 2019, 13 homicides; in 2020, 28 homicides; in 2021, 28 homicides; in 2022, 31 homicides; and in 2023, 35 homicides.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Macon State Prison gang attack and stabbing death March 2023 Case detail
In March 2023, four Bloods gang members at Macon State Prison moved past an officer onto the yard, ran to the kitchen and stabbed an incarcerated person working there. The victim later died. Adjacent housing unit incarcerated persons began obtaining weapons and fighting. Officers deployed 75 pepper balls and several other munitions. Eleven incarcerated persons were stabbed, six needing hospital transport. The first ambulance was called just over an hour after fighting began.
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Assault on Human Rights
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
18 confirmed or suspected homicides in first five months of 2024 Statistic
In the first five months of 2024, there were 18 confirmed or suspected homicides in GDC custody, based on GDC's reported homicide totals and other documentation.
18 confirmed or suspected homicides
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Dooly State Prison gang fight June 2022 Case detail
On a morning in mid-June 2022, a large gang fight between Gangster Disciples and Bloods erupted at Dooly State Prison, involving gang members from multiple housing units. Four windows were broken and seven incarcerated people were transported to outside hospitals for lacerations and puncture wounds. Staff were overwhelmed by the sheer number participating.
Sources
- Assault on Human Rights
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
Georgia homicide rate triple national average in 2019 Statistic
The national average homicide rate in state prisons across the country for 2019 was 12 per 100,000 people. Georgia's rate in 2019 was almost triple, at 34 per 100,000 people, and the numbers of homicides have increased precipitously since then.
34 homicides per 100,000 people vs. 12 national average per 100,000
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Bureau of Justice Statistics national prison homicide rate data
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- Bureau of Justice Statistics Report on National Homicide Rates in State Prisons (2019)
Dooly State Prison STG sergeant position vacant for three months Case detail
On June 23, 2023, a gang fight broke out at Dooly State Prison. Around the same time, the STG sergeant's position had been vacant for three months.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
From 2011-2018 homicides never exceeded nine annually Statistic
From 2011 through 2018, the number of homicides systemwide in GDC prisons never exceeded nine deaths annually.
9 maximum annual homicides (2011-2018)
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Less than 10% of fights forwarded to OPS for investigation Statistic
According to GDC's incident report records from 22 GDC prisons, less than 10% of fights from January 2022 to April 2023 were forwarded by the facility to OPS for investigation.
10%
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
DOJ identified additional homicides not in GDC totals Data gap
DOJ identified multiple additional homicide deaths that GDC's reported homicide totals fail to reflect.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Man Killed in Georgia Prison Laid There for Hours Before Guards Came, Autopsy Suggests
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Less than 23% of inmate-on-inmate assaults forwarded for investigation Statistic
According to GDC's incident report records from 22 GDC prisons, less than 23% of inmate-on-inmate assaults from January 2022 to April 2023 were forwarded by the facility to OPS for investigation.
23%
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Five homicides at four prisons in December 2023 Case detail
In December 2023, GDC experienced five homicides at four different prisons (Central State Prison, Macon State Prison, Coastal State Prison, Telfair State Prison), along with serious incidents at other facilities.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Prisoner Stabs Warden at Telfair State Prison
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Less than 12% of serious injury incidents forwarded for investigation Statistic
Even for incidents involving a serious injury, less than 12% were forwarded by GDC facilities for OPS investigation from January 2022 to April 2023 across 22 GDC prisons.
12%
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Central State Prison stabbing death December 8-18, 2023 Case detail
On December 8, 2023, a man in his 20s was stabbed in the barber shop at Central State Prison, in Bibb County. He received treatment at an outside hospital, returned to the prison, and died after going into cardiac arrest 'secondary to stabbing' on December 18.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Less than 6% of weapon incidents forwarded for investigation Statistic
Of incidents involving a weapon from January 2022 to April 2023 across 22 GDC prisons, less than 6% were forwarded by the facility for OPS investigation.
6%
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Central State Prison second stabbing death December 17, 2023 Case detail
On December 17, 2023, another man, also in his 20s, was stabbed to death at Central State Prison; three other incarcerated people were criminally charged in early January 2024 for their roles in his death.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
GDC mortality data undercounts homicides by classifying them as unknown Data gap
GDC's mortality data categorizes many deaths that obviously were homicides as having an unknown reason or unknown verified cause of death. GDC reported in its June 2024 mortality data that for the first five months of 2024, there were 6 homicides, even though at least 18 deaths were categorized as homicides in GDC incident reports. GDC's June 2024 mortality data also still classified at least 2 homicides from 2021 as having an 'unknown' cause of death.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- Local Coroner Reports
Macon State Prison cellmate altercation death December 10, 2023 Case detail
On December 10, 2023, an incarcerated person died after an altercation with his cellmate at Macon State Prison.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
6 reported vs 18 suspected homicides in first 5 months of 2024 Statistic
GDC reported in its June 2024 mortality data that for the first five months of 2024, there were 6 homicides, even though at least 18 deaths were categorized as homicides in GDC incident reports and GDC assured DOJ these suspected homicides were under investigation.
6 officially reported homicides vs. 18 suspected homicides per incident reports
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Coastal State Prison altercation death December 13, 2023 Case detail
On December 13, 2023, an incarcerated person at Coastal State Prison, in Chatham County, died after an altercation with other incarcerated persons; he was due to be released in 2024.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Seven 2022 deaths reclassified as homicides only in 2024 Statistic
DOJ identified seven deaths from 2022 that GDC categorized as undetermined or natural until eventually categorizing them as homicides in 2024, although other official records made clear much earlier that the deaths were homicides.
7 reclassified deaths
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Telfair State Prison altercation death December 22, 2023 Case detail
On December 22, 2023, an incarcerated person at Telfair State Prison died after an altercation with another incarcerated person.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Prisoner Stabs Warden at Telfair State Prison
1,481 grievance appeals in six months of 2023, ~480 rejected procedurally Statistic
In a period of approximately six months in 2023, GDC documented 1,481 grievance appeals, approximately 480 of which were rejected for failure to follow procedural requirements for filing grievances, such as timeliness, raising multiple issues in a single grievance, or grieving a 'non-grievable' issue.
1,481 grievance appeals vs. 480 rejected for procedural reasons
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Grievance Appeals Data (2023)
Phillips State Prison stabbing and fire December 2023 Case detail
On December 17, 2023, an incarcerated person at Phillips State Prison whom DOJ had interviewed earlier in 2023 required hospitalization for six or more stab wounds. The same day, video circulated on social media of a fire set by incarcerated persons the previous day in the sallyport area of a housing unit at Phillips.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Counselor staffing rates at 50% or lower at several prisons Finding
In a review of data from 16 GDC prisons from January 2022 to August 2023, DOJ found that most prisons reviewed failed to fully staff allotted counselor positions, and several had counselor staffing rates in the 50% range or lower.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Smith State Prison death and assault April 2023 Case detail
On April 5, 2023, an incarcerated man at Smith State Prison was discovered dead, possibly strangled to death by his roommate in a segregated housing unit. The local coroner noted the body was badly decomposed and the man likely had been dead for over two days. Four days prior, on April 1, another person was assaulted by multiple incarcerated people; a video of the assault was uploaded to social media showing the victim with hands tied behind his back being punched, kicked, and stabbed.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
- Local Coroner Reports
NGA classification tool validation status unclear Data gap
GDC personnel claimed that the Next Generation Assessment (NGA) classification tool has been validated, although GDC did not provide a specific date or year of validation. The last validation was at least a few years ago, and it is unclear whether GDC plans to re-validate. Despite repeated requests, GDC did not provide documentation to confirm validation or explain the criteria, formulas, and scoring mechanisms.
Sources
- GDC About GDC - State Prisons
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Next Generation Assessment (NGA) Classification Tool
GDCP mass assault January 6, 2023 Case detail
On January 6, 2023, a Lieutenant at GDCP responded to a housing unit where two wounded incarcerated people were found. One appeared to have broken an ankle jumping from the upper-level walkway to escape assault; another had a jaw laceration. Six other incarcerated persons had assault wounds including stabbings and lacerations. Six individuals were hospitalized from gang-on-gang attacks. Four nights later, four more persons were assaulted in the same housing unit, including one attacked by masked men with a 'sword' who demanded his CashApp account.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Assault on Human Rights
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
GDC segregation policy: max 30 days disciplinary segregation Policy
Under GDC policy, no incarcerated person can be placed in disciplinary segregation for more than thirty days.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
Hancock State Prison LGBTI homicide May 2022 Case detail
On May 22, 2022, an incarcerated person who identified as LGBTI was beaten and stabbed to death by multiple gang members inside a dorm at Hancock State Prison. The victim tried to escape by jumping through stair railings, where attackers circled and continued to stab and curse at the victim. Another incarcerated person was severely injured while attempting to stop the assault. The victim had reportedly asked to be moved the day before because their life was in danger.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Assault on Human Rights
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
Segregation lapses in at least nine prisons per 2023 audits Finding
GDC's 2023 internal audits found severe lapses in staff and supervisor rounds in segregation units in at least nine prisons. At one medium-security men's prison, the audit found long gaps between checks and some days with no checks at all, and noted that all check sheets reviewed by the auditor were incomplete.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Georgia State Prison abuse case - 'Shameful' Case detail
In October 2020, at Georgia State Prison, an incarcerated man was taken to hospital for a cut to his forehead and dark ligature marks around his neck after his bunkmate tried to kill him. Less than five months later, an ambulance returned for the same man with yellow and purple bruising on the right side of his face, possible jaw fracture, and multiple human bite marks all over his body. He was so malnourished every bone in his spine was bruised. He reported being kicked in the face, having food stolen for months, being sexually assaulted and raped by his bunkmate, and not eating in five days.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Incarcerated people held in shower cages for up to a week at Rogers Finding
At Rogers State Prison, incarcerated individuals described being held in kiosks and shower cages for up to a week when segregation cells were unavailable. Some individuals described having to defecate and urinate in the cages. One incarcerated person reported going six weeks without a shower and receiving no outside recreation.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
EMS provider quote on Georgia State Prison abuse Quote
The emergency services provider wrote: 'This patient is scared. His body is wasting away and covered in signs of abuse. How this has not been noticed by prison staff and tended to before now is shameful.'
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Ware State Prison sexual assault victim held in segregation for 9 months Case detail
An incarcerated individual at Ware who was sexually assaulted stayed in segregation for a month after reporting the assault. He was moved back into a housing unit but experienced gang member problems, then was placed in administrative segregation for refusing housing. At the time of the DOJ interview, he had been in segregation for nine months.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation (effective February 19, 2021)
Over 1,400 reported violence incidents Jan 2022-Apr 2023 Statistic
From January 2022 through April 2023, there were more than 1,400 reported incidents of violence, including fights, assaults, hostage incidents, and homicides, across the close-security prisons and most of the medium-security prisons. Of these, 19.7% involved a weapon, 45.1% resulted in serious injury, and 30.5% resulted in offsite medical treatment.
1,400 reported violence incidents (minimum)
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Assault victim held naked in suicide cell at Hays Case detail
An incarcerated individual was placed in a suicide-watch cell at Hays after he was assaulted, suffering a cut to his eye. All his property had been stolen. He was held naked in the suicide cell with no mattress or blanket. After continuously beating on the window, staff moved him to administrative segregation for refusing housing.
Sources
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation (effective February 19, 2021)
19.7% of violence incidents involved a weapon Statistic
Of over 1,400 reported violence incidents from January 2022 through April 2023, 19.7% involved a weapon.
19.7%
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
Gang control dictates housing, meals, showers, jobs, and unit operations Finding
DOJ found that gangs have unacceptable levels of control over large sections of Georgia's prison system. Inadequate policies and programs have allowed gangs to dictate where individuals live, who eats, who showers, who gets a job, and how units operate.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
45.1% of violence incidents resulted in serious injury Statistic
Of over 1,400 reported violence incidents from January 2022 through April 2023, 45.1% resulted in serious injury.
45.1%
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Incident miscoding systematically underreports violence Finding
DOJ identified numerous instances at multiple prisons where staff completed incident reports for violent incidents with narratives clearly describing an assault or fight, but the incident report did not code the incident as an assault or fight. Instead, incidents were recorded as 'injury,' 'disruptive event,' or 'special hospital transport,' excluding them from violent incident totals.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
30.5% of violence incidents resulted in offsite medical treatment Statistic
Of over 1,400 reported violence incidents from January 2022 through April 2023, 30.5% resulted in offsite medical treatment.
30.5%
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Coastal State Prison assault failure and subsequent cellmate homicide at GDCP Case detail
In March 2020, an assault at Coastal State Prison was forwarded to OPS for investigation, but no records indicated such investigation took place. The same assailant reentered the prison system in 2022 and strangled his cellmate to death at GDCP. The victim was an older man who used a wheelchair serving a sentence for a non-violent charge.
Sources
- Assault on Human Rights
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Violence consistently underreported in GDC prisons Data gap
Violent incidents are consistently underreported due to a lack of staff supervision and other factors, causing some incidents never to be reported at all. Violent incidents are often mischaracterized using inappropriate incident-type categories, resulting in under-counting of violent incidents such as assaults and fights.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
OPS communication breakdown with Facilities Division Finding
The OPS director cited a 'communication breakdown' between OPS and the Facilities Division prior to his tenure, and explained that he believed more information should be shared on a regular basis. Facility wardens and officials explained they do not receive investigation reports or summaries and that OPS only informs facilities of results on a case-by-case basis or upon request, largely verbal and informal.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Macon State Prison had 8 homicides in 2020 Statistic
In 2020, eight homicides occurred at Macon State Prison, more than any other Georgia prison that year.
8 homicides
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
GDC does not have centralized policies for facility-level investigations Policy
GDC informed DOJ that there are no centralized policies or procedures governing facility-level investigations or incident reviews. The lack of such policies may explain why GDC staff interviewed were confused about these topics.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Phillips State Prison had most homicides in 2022 with 5 Statistic
In 2022, Phillips State Prison had the most homicides of any GDC prison, with five; there were four homicides at Macon State Prison that year.
5 homicides
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Calhoun County Sheriff arrested 20 people in one week for contraband Case detail
In June 2021, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department arrested 20 people in one week for trying to introduce contraband, including cellphones and methamphetamines, into Calhoun State Prison.
Sources
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Seven incarcerated people and one CO killed at Smith State Prison in 2023 Statistic
In 2023, seven incarcerated people and one CO were killed in homicides at Smith State Prison.
8 homicides (7 incarcerated + 1 CO)
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Former Calhoun officer sentenced to 5 years for smuggling Case detail
In September 2022, a former Calhoun correctional officer received a five-year federal prison sentence for attempting to smuggle two pounds of methamphetamine and eight cellphones into Calhoun State Prison.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Contraband gun murder-suicide at Smith State Prison June 2024 Case detail
In June 2024, an incarcerated person at Smith State Prison used a contraband gun to kill a food-service worker and then take his own life.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Employee background check deficiencies Finding
DOJ identified problems with employee background-check and screening processes in GDC employee personnel files. Concerns about criminal histories, financial problems, and possibly gang-affiliated associates were identified in the background-check process, but individuals had been hired without documentation of mitigating circumstances or why their hiring was appropriate despite identified concerns.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Telfair State Prison warden stabbed March 2024 Case detail
In March 2024, the Warden of Telfair State Prison was stabbed by an incarcerated person during a disturbance that arose after a shakedown.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Prisoner Stabs Warden at Telfair State Prison
GDC fails to conduct required window and door security checks Finding
Several 2023 GDC facility audits found that GDC fails to perform required checks of windows and doors to ensure they have not been cut or modified. Several facility audits also found GDC fails to maintain accurate key and tool inventories and to document key counts and checks.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Major riot at Ware State Prison in 2020 Case detail
In 2020, there was a major riot at Ware State Prison in which incarcerated persons obtained facility keys, let scores of other incarcerated persons out of housing units including restrictive housing, held officers hostage and stabbed officers, set fires, burned a GDC transport cart, and broke into an office obtaining officers' weapons and defensive gear. Several hospital transports resulted, including four officers, one via helicopter life-flight.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation (effective February 19, 2021)
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
GDC does not provide effective gang renouncement off-ramp Policy
GDC does not provide an effective off-ramp for incarcerated people to renounce or disavow STG membership, which effectively encourages STG members to remain affiliated for protection and other benefits.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Proportion of men's population incarcerated for violent crimes increased modestly Statistic
The proportion of the men's prison population incarcerated for violent crimes (not including sex offenders) increased from approximately 51% in 2016 to 56% in 2023, a modest increase that does not explain the dramatic rise in violence in the prisons.
56% vs. 51 percent in 2016
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
Governor Kemp announces GDC assessment with consultants June 2024 Policy
The State announced it retained high-profile consultants to conduct a comprehensive one-year assessment of GDC to 'identify current strengths, opportunities, and recommendations to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness' and to 'begin implementation support.' DOJ noted any results would be years in the future.
635 sexual abuse allegations reported in 2022 Statistic
GDC reported 635 sexual-abuse allegations in 2022 (the most recent year for which a systemwide PREA report is available).
635 sexual abuse allegations
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
- PREA Standards (National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape)
- GDC PREA Annual Reports (2019-2022)
- State Board of Pardons and Paroles Records
CRIPA 49-day deadline for State response before potential lawsuit Legal fact
DOJ advised that 49 days after issuance of the findings letter, the Attorney General may initiate a lawsuit pursuant to CRIPA to correct deficiencies if State officials have not satisfactorily addressed concerns. The Attorney General may also move to intervene in related private suits 15 days after issuance.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA)
Sexual abuse allegations by year 2019-2022 Statistic
GDC reported 635 sexual-abuse allegations in 2022, 639 in 2021, 702 in 2020, and 653 in 2019. These numbers likely fail to capture the full scope of harm.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- PREA Standards (National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape)
- GDC PREA Annual Reports (2019-2022)
- State Board of Pardons and Paroles Records
DOJ recommends 82 minimum remedial measures Policy
The DOJ Findings Report includes 82 minimum remedial measures organized into short-term/immediate measures and long-term measures covering: strategic assessment, staffing and supervision, incident response/reporting/investigations, classification and housing, contraband and STG management, facility conditions, sexual safety, public transparency, and use of data.
Sources
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- GDC About GDC - State Prisons
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
GDC houses transgender women with men based on external genitalia Policy
Instead of making individualized assessments, GDC houses transgender women with men based on their external genitalia despite the risk this poses to their safety.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
DOJ recommends 90% CO staffing target (10% max vacancy) Policy
DOJ recommends that GDC properly screen, hire, and fully train sufficient correctional officers to staff all mandatory posts and bring all GDC facilities within 90% of currently allotted posts (i.e., 10% or lower CO vacancy rate).
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) Investigations
Sexual abuse investigation of gay man deemed unsubstantiated despite evidence Case detail
In May 2022, a gay man reported his cellmate sexually assaulted him. The cellmate was part of a gang that ordered the cellmate to get the man out of his cell because he was openly gay. The cellmate injured the man with a shank, tied him up, and raped him. GDC investigators deemed the matter unsubstantiated, despite both men confirming the man was tied up, that sexual relations occurred, and that a gang ordered the cellmate to drive the man out.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- PREA Standards (National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape)
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
DOJ recommends 90-day video retention and 72-hour equipment replacement Policy
DOJ recommends that all video footage should be retained for 90 days unless an incident occurs, in which case it should be preserved until fully investigated and prosecuted or dismissed. Any out-of-service video equipment should be replaced within 72 hours.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Transgender woman coerced for oral sex through chow port Case detail
In March 2021, a transgender woman alleged that an incarcerated man in the protective custody unit ordered her to provide oral sex through the chow port in her cell door to receive a meal tray. The man denied sexual contact but admitted to taking drugs and sticking his erect penis through the chow port. No evidence that GDC took any administrative action despite the man's admission.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
GDC disclosing less to public about prison conditions Finding
In the midst of its awareness of pervasive violence problems, GDC has been disclosing less to the public about conditions and harm in the prisons, providing more minimal updates and generally only high-level information to the press regarding inquiries about deaths, violence, and other harm. Families of incarcerated people who are injured in violent incidents report receiving partial or delayed information, if any, from GDC.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
Hundreds of GDC officers arrested in past six years Statistic
In the past six years, hundreds of GDC officers have been arrested on criminal charges arising out of acts committed in or in relation to the prisons, including acts with victims outside of the prisons. The vast majority were contraband-related arrests, while other charges involved violence, extortion, or sexual assault; gangs with members inside and outside the prisons often played a role. Dozens more officers have been fired, but not arrested, for misconduct related to contraband.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Gangs use illicit prison funds to corrupt officials Finding
Gangs use funds from illicit prison activities to corrupt officials and further their illegal enterprises. Incarcerated persons reported that practically all gang members 'have to' own weapons, sometimes multiple weapons.
Sources
- Assault on Human Rights
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
Smith State Prison Warden Brian Adams arrested on RICO charges Case detail
In February 2023, the Warden of Smith State Prison, Brian Adams, was arrested on Georgia RICO charges for his alleged involvement in an extensive drug-smuggling conspiracy led by a person incarcerated at Smith. The same incarcerated man allegedly directed two 2021 murders in the local community: the death of Bobby Kicklighter in his home in January 2021 (botched murder-for-hire) and the death of Jessica Gerling, a former GDC CO, in June 2021.
Sources
Baldwin State Prison assault victim housed with same gang in segregation Case detail
At Baldwin State Prison, a person was assaulted in his housing unit by members of the Gangster Disciples gang with a lock in a sock. Following the assault, the victim was placed in segregation in a cell with an individual from the same gang that had attacked him.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
Thomas White guilty plea for directing drive-by shooting from prison Case detail
In September 2023, Thomas White, a person incarcerated by GDC, pleaded guilty to multiple criminal counts related to his involvement in a drive-by shooting near a Marietta, Georgia, apartment complex and Home Depot in 2021. Mr. White allegedly used a contraband cellphone from a GDC prison to instruct his free-world associates to commit the shooting.
Sources
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Calhoun segregation homicide: 7-foot assailant requested victim's cell Case detail
At Calhoun State Prison, an individual was killed by his cellmate in segregation. An officer had previously reported the two men should not have been in the same cell because of both men's STG status and because the assailant was significantly bigger (seven feet tall and 340 pounds). A supervisor failed to verify room status. An officer failed to respond to an orderly's report the men wanted to be separated. The victim died of multiple blunt force traumas and a stab wound to the neck, beaten with a fan motor in a net bag.
Sources
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
- Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
- Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
23-person federal indictment for gang crimes from inside GDC prisons Case detail
In November 2023, 23 individuals, including several incarcerated at six different GDC prisons, were charged in a sweeping federal indictment stemming from gang-related crimes committed from inside and outside GDC prisons, including stabbings and assaults at multiple prisons in 2020, a shooting death in Griffin, Georgia in December 2020, and a home arson in early 2021.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Extensive pre-visit repairs at prisons before DOJ site visits Finding
DOJ was told repeatedly by incarcerated people, including those who work maintenance details, and some staff that an enormous amount of repair work was undertaken prior to DOJ's site visits to each prison. Despite these efforts, DOJ experts still observed physical building and maintenance issues affecting security during visits.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Telfair gang leader sentenced to life for drug trafficking Case detail
In November 2023, a man incarcerated at Telfair State Prison received a federal sentence of life in prison for his leadership role in a massive, gang-related drug trafficking conspiracy; a GDC CO also was sentenced for helping to move contraband into the prison at the incarcerated gang leader's direction.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Prisoner Stabs Warden at Telfair State Prison
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
GDC rolling lock hardening project insufficient Finding
GDC acknowledged problems maintaining secure door locks and informed DOJ during site inspections that various housing units were temporarily closed due to a rolling 'lock hardening project.' GDC leadership also informed of lock upgrades underway. However, DOJ found such projects are not sufficient because GDC lacks sufficient security staff to supervise incarcerated persons and prevent further damage to locks.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
District Attorneys report increasing violent crimes originating in prisons Finding
District Attorneys from around the state told DOJ that the proportion of violent crimes originating in the prisons, including homicides, has increased in recent years, straining prosecutorial resources.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
DOJ investigation launched in 2016, expanded in 2021 Methodology note
In 2016, DOJ launched a statewide investigation into whether GDC adequately protects incarcerated persons who are LGBTI from sexual abuse by staff and other incarcerated persons. In 2021, DOJ expanded the investigation to include protection of all incarcerated persons at medium- and close-security-level prisons from violence by other incarcerated persons.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- PREA Standards (National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape)
DOJ visited 17 GDC prisons in 2022-2023 Methodology note
Between 2022 and 2023, DOJ visited 17 GDC prisons – about half of the state prisons – representing geographically and demographically diverse areas throughout the state. DOJ conducted hundreds of private, one-on-one interviews with incarcerated persons, dozens of interviews with GDC staff and leadership, and reviewed tens of thousands of records.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Bureau of Justice Statistics Report on National Homicide Rates in State Prisons (2019)
GDC refused document production until subpoena enforcement Finding
GDC refused to produce most requested materials until mid-2023, after DOJ issued an administrative subpoena and sought and obtained court enforcement of the subpoena. GDC also severely limited DOJ's access to prison facilities and staff interviews until the district court entered a protective order.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
GDC ultimately produced over 19,000 records Methodology note
Although GDC ultimately produced over 19,000 records, the process of obtaining records and information from GDC was unnecessarily contentious and lengthy.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
DOJ received over 1,000 letters and communications from incarcerated people and families Methodology note
DOJ received more than one thousand letters, emails, and other communications from people who are currently incarcerated in Georgia prisons, as well as their loved ones and grassroots advocates.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
CO vacancy rate trajectory: 11% in 2014 to over 50% by 2021 Trend
From 2014 to 2018, GDC's annual average CO vacancy rate climbed from almost 11% to over 18%. Between 2018 and 2023, staffing levels fell precipitously, reaching a systemwide CO vacancy rate of 60% in April 2023, with over 2,800 vacant officer positions.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
GDC average CO vacancy rate 49.3% in 2021, 56.3% in 2022, 52.5% in 2023 Statistic
GDC's average CO vacancy rate was 49.3% in 2021, 56.3% in 2022, and 52.5% in 2023.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
Over 2,800 unfilled CO positions as of end of 2023 Statistic
As of the end of 2023, GDC still had over 2,800 unfilled CO positions, despite claims of hiring more security staff than they lost.
2,800 unfilled CO positions
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
18 prisons had CO vacancy rates over 60% in December 2023 Statistic
In December 2023, 18 GDC prisons had CO vacancy rates over 60%, and 10 of those were over 70%.
18 prisons with over 60% CO vacancy rate vs. 10 prisons with over 70% CO vacancy rate
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
20 prisons had CO vacancy over 60% in April 2023, 12 over 70% Statistic
In April 2023, the CO vacancy rate was over 60% at 20 medium- and close-security prisons; twelve of these prisons had vacancy rates above 70%.
20 prisons with over 60% CO vacancy rate vs. 12 prisons with over 70% vacancy rate
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
11 prisons had 100+ vacant CO positions each in December 2023 Statistic
In December 2023, at eleven close- and medium-security GDC prisons, 100 or more officer positions per facility remained vacant.
11 prisons with 100+ CO vacancies each
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
Over 15 state prisons saw net loss in filled CO positions Oct 2022-Dec 2023 Statistic
Between October 2022 and the end of 2023, more than 15 state prisons housing individuals at the medium- and close-security levels saw a net loss in filled CO positions, while several others saw increases only in the single digits.
15 prisons with net loss in COs (minimum)
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Bureau of Justice Statistics Report on National Homicide Rates in State Prisons (2019)
CO starting salaries $40,000-$44,000 per year Statistic
Following a recent salary increase, COs currently make starting salaries in the $40,000 – $44,000 per year range, depending on the security level of the facility at which they work.
$40,000 vs. 44,000 dollars starting salary (high end)
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
GDC HR Director acknowledges salary lag Quote
GDC's Human Resources Director acknowledged that GDC still 'lag[s] behind in the salary market,' so pay remains 'a factor.'
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
GDC consulting contract to become 'certified as great place to work by 2027' Policy
GDC officials said they hope that a relatively new contract with a consulting firm to help GDC become 'certified as a great place to work by 2027' will increase officer retention through staff training and workshops.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Officers assigned to supervise multiple buildings of hundreds of beds each Finding
Staff at several GDC prisons have adopted a practice of assigning one CO to single-handedly supervise two buildings at a time, each comprising two or more housing units and hundreds of incarcerated people, for an entire 12-hour shift.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
One officer responsible for nearly 400 beds at close-security prison Finding
At a large close-security men's prison known for gang problems and violence, staffing rosters from mid-2023 confirmed there was at least one, and sometimes up to four, officers assigned to two buildings at a time; each officer was single-handedly responsible for nearly 400 beds.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
Officers required to switch posts every 30 minutes leaving units unsupervised Finding
A Regional Director acknowledged that staff assigned to multiple posts are required to switch posts every 30 minutes to check on incarcerated persons in multiple buildings, leaving units and entire buildings unsupervised during those times.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) Investigations
No day with every building covered by at least one officer at medium-security prison Finding
A shift supervisor at a large medium-security men's prison reported that in a given month, there is unlikely to be a single day on which each building in the prison is covered by at least one officer.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Homicide investigation found no staff checks for 12 hours before death Case detail
An investigation of a homicide at a GDC men's prison in 2021 found that no staff checks had been done after 9:20 p.m. the night before the death; the body was found the next morning around 9:00 a.m.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Man killed while handcuffed, officer supervising control center and both sides of housing unit Case detail
In 2022, at a close-security men's prison, an incarcerated man was killed after being assaulted while handcuffed. The investigation found that the officer on duty was single-handedly supervising a control center as well as both sides of the housing unit building where the homicide took place.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Stabbing victim stabbed 32 times; officer assigned to three buildings Case detail
On a weekend day shift in August 2023, at a large men's prison, one officer was assigned to three separate buildings. A victim was stabbed 32 times in his back, head, and stomach. The next day, the same officer was again assigned to three buildings. The logbook from the building where the stabbing took place has no entries after 8:54 a.m. on the day of the stabbing. The following day, no officer was assigned to that building for the second shift.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Surveillance video in housing units not monitored in real time Finding
At multiple facilities, security and leadership staff reported that surveillance video in the housing units is not monitored in the housing unit control centers or from central control. While the warden generally has access to housing-unit surveillance video, the shift supervisor and lower-level security staff do not. Nobody is supervising the population in real time.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Caldwell v. Warden, FCI Talladega, 748 F.3d 1090 (11th Cir. 2014)
12 of 13 prison audits found failure to document 30-minute cell checks Statistic
In a sampling of internal GDC audits from 2023, in 12 out of 13 prison audits, staff failed to properly document required 30-minute cell checks in segregated housing units, with auditors noting lengthy periods with no documented checks, or evidence that checks had been documented before or after the fact instead of contemporaneously.
12 of 13 audited prisons failing cell check documentation
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Control centers appeared unmanned at most prisons DOJ visited Finding
In most of the 17 prisons DOJ toured, experts repeatedly noted that control centers in housing units appeared to be unmanned and found little evidence that they were consistently occupied (e.g., officers' personal belongings, computer equipment such as a mouse or working monitor).
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Caldwell v. Warden, FCI Talladega, 748 F.3d 1090 (11th Cir. 2014)
EMS delayed average 30 minutes waiting for prison gates to open Statistic
One EMS director estimated that EMS teams are delayed an average of 30 minutes during emergency responses to a GDC prison, waiting for security staff to open the three gates necessary to access the prison's medical department.
30 minutes average EMS delay
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Four deaths in 2021 with bodies found in rigor mortis Statistic
GDC records on four deaths of incarcerated persons in 2021 describe bodies that were discovered by staff after the onset of rigor mortis, indicating that hours had likely passed since the individual had died.
4 deaths with delayed discovery (rigor mortis)
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Pulaski State Prison assault - woman attacked by 10+ people Case detail
In August 2022, staff at Pulaski State Prison received a call from outside the prison advising an incarcerated person was being stabbed. Staff initially reported all was secure. Later, they heard a faint cry for help. An incarcerated woman was found locked in her cell, slumped over the toilet with a gash on her head, bleeding profusely, with dark red marks across her back and a bruise in the shape of a footprint. She reported being assaulted hours ago by more than 10 people, stomped on, hit, and kicked, then forced into the shower to wash off the blood.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Pulaski State Prison sexual assault with hot sauce bottle Case detail
At Pulaski State Prison, in February 2022, an incarcerated woman was transported to the hospital for vaginal bleeding and stomach pain. She alleged her roommate sexually assaulted her with a hot sauce bottle and that she yelled for an officer but no one came to the cell to help.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Smith State Prison waterboarding and sexual assault May 2020 Case detail
At Smith State Prison, in May 2020, an incarcerated person had been tied up, beaten, and waterboarded by his cellmate. The cellmate also inserted multiple bars of soap into the victim's rectum. The victim suffered multiple contusions to his face and chest, was bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth, had ligature marks on his neck and binding around his wrist. Most of his upper teeth had been broken during the assault. 150 milliliters of blood was suctioned from his airway.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Phillips State Prison hostage case - man held and tortured for almost four days Case detail
On August 3, 2020, an officer at Phillips State Prison was conducting rounds when an incarcerated person handed him a note stating that a person in another cell had been held hostage for days. In May 2023, DOJ interviewed the victim who reported being held and tortured for almost four days, stabbed from behind with his eye pierced, and suffering a traumatic brain injury. Almost exactly a year later, the same assailant assaulted another person at the same prison.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
Ware State Prison man died of drug overdose after DOJ interview Case detail
On June 29, 2022, an incarcerated person at Ware State Prison reported to DOJ that he had gone almost a year without a mattress, was blocked from the bathroom, chased with a broom and rock, described PTSD worse than military combat, and said drugs are easy to acquire. Four days later he died from acute methamphetamine toxicity. His body was found slumped over a second-floor railing and left there for several hours because there were no officers in the control center.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Quote from contraband cellphone video at Ware State Prison Quote
In the contraband cellphone video showing an apparently deceased man draped over an upper-tier railing at Ware State Prison, the individual holding the camera says: 'we have an inmate here that is dead . . . for the past two-and-a-half hours. It's crazy. This is crazy.'
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Ware State Prison man blindfolded, tied, beaten, burned during DOJ visit Case detail
On June 27, 2022, the second day of DOJ's site visit to Ware State Prison, an incarcerated person was blindfolded, tied up, beaten, and burned by other incarcerated people. He was diagnosed with first- and second-degree burns. The victim said he reported the assault to staff but they did nothing.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Wilcox State Prison officers allowed incarcerated assailant to drag victim Case detail
Before DOJ visited Wilcox State Prison in June 2023, video showed an incarcerated person assaulting another outdoors while an officer watched. GDC records confirm that multiple officers brought a 'warden's orderly' to the victim's housing unit, and staff then allowed the assailant to strike the victim and use a cart to drag the limp victim along an outdoor walkway. Two COs were terminated.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Smith State Prison Ramadan breakfast melee March 2023 Case detail
On March 27, 2023, Smith State Prison went into lockdown immediately before a DOJ site inspection due to a fight with weapons following a Ramadan breakfast inside the D-2 dorm. Seven individuals required hospitalization, two by air evacuation. The melee began when members of various gangs retaliated while there were no officers in the dorm. The Incident Response Team took about an hour to respond.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
Coastal State Prison transgender woman died of apparent suicide after DOJ interview Case detail
Shortly after DOJ interviewed several incarcerated people at Coastal State Prison in fall 2022, one of the people interviewed, a transgender woman with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and a history of mental health issues, died of an apparent suicide.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Macon State Prison interviewee later killed at Augusta State Medical Prison Case detail
In late May 2024, an incarcerated man whom DOJ interviewed at Macon State Prison in early 2023 reportedly died by homicide at Augusta State Medical Prison, where he had been transferred. He had been attacked on multiple occasions prior to his death. Two incarcerated people and a GDC CO have been criminally charged.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Gangs control housing units and direct where people sleep Finding
Gangs that run housing units often target LGBTI individuals with physical and sexual violence. Gangs control housing units, directing where other incarcerated people sleep and extorting incarcerated people and their families for money. Incarcerated persons consistently reported that other incarcerated persons who have more power tell people where to sleep, and officers do not notice or fail to correct the relocation.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
Contraband weapons, drugs, and cellphones commonplace across the system Finding
Contraband weapons, illicit drugs, and cellphones are commonplace across the system. In interviews at 16 of the 17 GDC prisons visited, incarcerated people consistently reported that weapons are widespread. A steady stream of contraband cellphone videos and photographs showing assaults, injuries, weapons, and drug use have been shared to social media.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
Walker State Prison notably safer exception with better staffing Finding
Walker State Prison was a notable exception, with fewer incarcerated people reporting they feared for their lives, a much higher proportion of security staff positions filled, more robust programming, and no reported homicides in the past several years. DOJ believes Walker shows that larger-scale improvement is possible with appropriate strategy and sufficient resources.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Calhoun State Prison dehydration death February 2023 Case detail
In February 2023, an incarcerated person was found dead in his restrictive-housing cell at Calhoun State Prison, leaning against the door and wrapped in mattress padding. The body was stiff; the coroner believed the person had been dead for seven to eight hours before discovery. No one had entered his cell for two days; the flap in the door had been locked shut. Incarcerated people reported staff had shut off the water supply, closed the flap, and did not deliver meals. Cause of death was dehydration with renal failure.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Local Coroner Reports
Coroner quote on Calhoun State Prison death Quote
Speaking to emergency dispatch after examining the body at Calhoun State Prison, the coroner said there was 'some shit that ain't right about this inmate.'
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Local Coroner Reports
Incarcerated people treating their own wounds with toothpaste, coffee grounds, dirt Finding
DOJ interviewed incarcerated people who reported cleaning and dressing their own or others' wounds in unsupervised prison areas, using things like toothpaste, coffee grounds, dirt, and makeshift bandages to dress open wounds; medical records corroborated some of these accounts.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Incarcerated people cut through fencing to reach medical unit Case detail
In August 2023 at a large close-security men's prison, three incarcerated men wheeled another incarcerated person on a cart to the medical unit. The officer noted that the incarcerated people likely exited their housing unit through a fire-exit door and cut a large hole in fencing to reach the medical unit.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- Phillips State Prison fire video (Facebook post)
Georgia State Prison burn victim waited 5+ hours for medical transport Case detail
On December 8, 2020, at Georgia State Prison, an incarcerated person suffered burns to 90% or more of his body. The incident was suspected to have happened around 4-5 p.m. but the person was not brought to the medical unit until around 10:24 p.m. Transport to hospital was delayed because prison security staff did not have an officer ready to go.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Georgia State Prison man tied up and stabbed all night August 2021 Case detail
On August 20, 2021, at Georgia State Prison, an incarcerated person reported that he was hog tied all night, stabbed, and then released in the morning after being tied up for over eight hours. Emergency responders noted indentations on his arms and legs. He was airlifted to hospital.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Ware State Prison stabbing - 30 minute delay, no follow-up interview Case detail
On May 23, 2022, at Ware State Prison, an incarcerated person was stabbed multiple times. There was no security staff in the dorm, so other incarcerated people beat on the window to draw attention. It took half an hour for someone to respond. The victim was diagnosed with a collapsed lung. After five days in hospital, he returned and was locked down in isolation. He was never interviewed about the incident.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Inmates Record Horrific Beating, Stabbing Inside Georgia Prison Cell
Coastal State Prison overdose death with body in rigor mortis June 2022 Case detail
In June 2022, emergency services responded to Coastal State Prison for an unresponsive person. The incarcerated man lay dead on the ground with rigor mortis, 'pale and cool to the touch.' Staff informed responders they found a syringe near his bed. Cause of death was overdose.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
- Local Coroner Reports
Incarcerated persons not reporting violence due to fear and futility Finding
In interviews with DOJ, incarcerated people explained that they do not always report incidents because they do not expect staff to take any action in response. Sexual assaults are not reported either for fear of retaliation from those who assaulted them, or because incarcerated people believe GDC will fail to address their complaints.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
Extortion of incarcerated people and their families via contraband cellphones Finding
Incarcerated persons and their loved ones report that other incarcerated people have been assaulted or threatened with violence in efforts to extort money from family or loved ones outside the prisons, and GDC's own homicide investigations have uncovered evidence of extortion.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Four Convicted in Gang-Related Drive-by Shooting (Press Release)
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Average GDC prison over 30 years old and reaching 'end of life' Statistic
The average GDC prison is over 30 years old and reaching 'end of life,' according to a recent public presentation by the Commissioner.
30 years average prison age
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report
Pre-COVID staffing crisis already underway by February 2020 Finding
By February 2020, three close-security men's prisons had CO vacancy rates near or over 50%. In January 2020, GDC hired 146 COs and lost 175; in February 2020, GDC hired 134 COs and lost 131. GDC's severe understaffing predates the pandemic.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
Staffing crisis predates by decades Trend
The circumstances within Georgia's prisons did not develop overnight, but rather represent decades of inaction to address a growing and changing incarcerated population, aging infrastructure, and years of declining staffing rates. In the 1980s, Georgia funded prison expansion despite insufficient COs; this trend continued into the 1990s.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
GDC failed to produce comprehensive staffing analyses Data gap
Other than facility staffing plans, GDC has not produced any staffing analyses that GDC may have conducted. DOJ notes that a comprehensive staffing study and review needs to be conducted as part of any remedy.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Logbooks carried between buildings or called in to central control Finding
Security staff from different facilities reported that in some cases an officer covering two separate buildings carries a logbook from building to building to log during their shift. At another facility, security staff call logbook entries to central control, where they are logged by the officer on duty there. Logbooks were labeled for more than one housing building.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Internal audits found widespread documentation and compliance failures Finding
GDC's 2023 facility audits found: supervisors clearing counts despite discrepancies; inaccurate count documentation; delays in submitting incident reports; inaccuracies in contraband control documentation; incomplete visitor records; inconsistent segregated housing checks; failure to maintain chemical/tool inventories; and inadequate inspection procedures.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Hundreds of GA prison employees had a lucrative side hustle: They aided prisoners' criminal schemes
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- At least 360 Georgia prison guards have been arrested for contraband since 2018, newspaper finds
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
- Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
- Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
- GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
- GDC Incident Reports and Records
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Staffing too low to conduct mandated searches Finding
One officer reported that staff often are unable to conduct the searches mandated by policy.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Commissioner Oliver acknowledged calling and passion important for retention Quote
Commissioner Oliver acknowledged that in addition to compensation, ensuring that the work is a 'calling' and that officers have 'passion' for their jobs are important to retention.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- GDC Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report
GDC did not allow DOJ to tour spontaneously Methodology note
GDC insisted on setting all of DOJ's site visits several weeks or months in advance, required Special Operations staff to facilitate visits, repeatedly informed DOJ that their group could not split up due to security challenges, and did not permit DOJ to tour spontaneously and observe normal operations.
Source
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Farmer v. Brennan standard: state cannot let state of nature take its course Legal fact
The Supreme Court has explained that the State, after incarcerating people and 'having stripped them of virtually every means of self-protection and foreclosed their access to outside aid,' is 'not free to let the state of nature take its course.'
CRIPA legal authority for DOJ investigation Legal fact
Consistent with the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1997 et seq. (CRIPA), the DOJ provides this Report to notify Georgia and GDC of the Department's conclusions, the facts supporting those conclusions, and the minimum remedial measures necessary to address the violations identified.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
- Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA)
Medical worker denied entry to housing unit due to insufficient security staff after fatal assault Case detail
In mid-2023, an incarcerated man at a large men's prison died after being badly injured in a fight. A supervisory member of the medical staff recounted that a nurse who responded was 'distraught' because medical personnel were not permitted to enter the housing unit due to insufficient security staff to escort them.
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
Employee morale survey cited safety, staffing, morale as biggest challenges Finding
In employee morale surveys conducted at several facilities in 2023, employees cited as the 'worst' aspects of their jobs or as the 'biggest challenges' facing GDC: 'retaining quality staff,' 'staff morale,' 'work environment,' and the 'safety and security of facilities.'
Sources
- DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
- Correctional Officer Killed (Press Release)
- GDC Employee Morale Surveys (2023)
Sources
63 cited sources backing this research.
Primary
Legislation
28 C.F.R. § 115.43 – PREA Standards on Protective Custody
Primary
Legal document
Alberti v. Klevenhagen, 790 F.2d 1220 (5th Cir. 1986)
Secondary
Journalism
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Legal document
Bearchild v. Cobban, 947 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2020)
Primary
Legal document
Bowen v. Warden Baldwin State Prison, 826 F.3d 1312 (11th Cir. 2016)
Primary
Legal document
Braggs v. Dunn, 257 F. Supp. 3d 1171 (M.D. Ala. 2017)
Primary
Official report
Bureau of Justice Statistics national prison homicide rate data
Primary
Official report
Bureau of Justice Statistics Report on National Homicide Rates in State Prisons (2019)
Primary
Legal document
Caldwell v. Warden, FCI Talladega, 748 F.3d 1090 (11th Cir. 2014)
Primary
Legislation
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA)
Primary
Press release
Primary
Legal document
Crawford v. Cuomo, 796 F.3d 252 (2d Cir. 2015)
Primary
Legal document
Dickinson v. Cochran, 833 F. App'x 268 (11th Cir. 2020)
Primary
Official report
DOJ CRIPA Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Primary
Legal document
DOJ CRIPA Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Prisons
Primary
Official report
DOJ Investigation Findings Report on Georgia Department of Corrections (CRIPA)
Primary
Official report
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Reports and Provider Records
Primary
Legal document
Primary
Press release
Primary
Legal document
Gates v. Collier, 501 F.2d 1291 (5th Cir. 1974)
Primary
Data portal
Primary
Official report
GDC Contraband Recovery Data (November 2021 – August 2023)
Primary
Official report
GDC Employee Morale Surveys (2023)
Primary
Press release
GDC Facebook Post – Contraband Seized at Multiple State Prisons (July 22, 2022)
Primary
Data portal
Primary
Official report
Primary
Official report
GDC Grievance Appeals Data (2023)
Primary
Official report
GDC Incident Reports and Records
Primary
Official report
Primary
Official report
GDC Internal Facility Audits (2023)
Primary
Official report
GDC Mortality Reports / Mortality Data
Primary
Official report
GDC Next Generation Assessment (NGA) Classification Tool
Primary
Official report
GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) Investigation Files
Primary
Official report
GDC PREA Annual Reports (2019-2022)
Primary
Official report
GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation (effective February 19, 2021)
Primary
Official report
GDC Staffing Records and Rosters
Primary
Legal document
Georgia Advoc. Off. v. Jackson, No. 1:19-cv-1634-WMR-JFK (N.D. Ga. 2019)
Primary
Official report
Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Autopsy Records / Office of the Medical Examiner
Primary
Official report
Primary
Press release
Primary
Official report
Governor's Office of Planning and Budget Records
Secondary
Journalism
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Legal document
LaMarca v. Turner, 995 F.2d 1526 (11th Cir. 1993)
Primary
Legal document
Lane v. Philbin, 835 F.3d 1302 (11th Cir. 2016)
Primary
Official report
Local Coroner Reports
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Legal document
Marbury v. Warden, 936 F.3d 1227 (11th Cir. 2019)
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Legal document
Porter v. Clarke, 923 F.3d 348 (4th Cir. 2019)
Primary
Legislation
PREA Standards (National Standards to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Prison Rape)
Primary
Official report
Primary
Legislation
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Legal document
Q.F. v. Daniel, 768 F. App'x 935 (11th Cir. 2019)
Primary
Legal document
Quintilla v. Bryson, 730 F. App'x 738 (11th Cir. 2018)
Primary
Legal document
Sconiers v. Lockhart, 946 F.3d 1256 (11th Cir. 2020)
Primary
Legal document
Sheley v. Dugger, 833 F.2d 1420 (11th Cir. 1987)
Primary
Official report
State Board of Pardons and Paroles Records
Primary
Legal document
Thomas v. Bryant, 614 F.3d 1288 (11th Cir. 2010)
Primary
Legal document
U.S. Constitution, Eighth Amendment
Primary
Legal document
Van Riper v. Wexford Health Sources, Inc., 67 F. App'x 501 (10th Cir. 2003)
Key Entities
Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.
Augusta State Medical Prison
[facility]
Baldwin State Prison
[facility]
Bobby Kicklighter
[person]
Brian Adams
[person]
Calhoun County Sheriff's Department
[organization]
Calhoun State Prison
[facility]
Central State Prison
[facility]
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act
[legislation]
Coastal State Prison
[facility]
Coffee State Prison
[facility]
Dooly State Prison
[facility]
Farmer v. Brennan
[case]
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
[organization]
Georgia Department of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison
[facility]
Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council
[organization]
Georgia State Prison
[facility]
Governor Brian Kemp
[person]
Hancock State Prison
[facility]
Hays State Prison
[facility]
Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia
[organization]
Jessica Gerling
[person]
Lee Arrendale State Prison
[facility]
Macon State Prison
[facility]
National Institute of Corrections
[organization]
Next Generation Assessment
[program]
Office of Professional Standards
[organization]
Peace Officer Standards and Training Council
[organization]
Phillips State Prison
[facility]
Prison Rape Elimination Act
[legislation]
Pulaski State Prison
[facility]
Rogers State Prison
[facility]
Smith State Prison
[facility]
State Board of Corrections
[organization]
State Board of Pardons and Paroles
[organization]
Telfair State Prison
[facility]
Thomas White
[person]
Timothy Ward
[person]
Tyrone Oliver
[person]
U.S. Department of Justice
[organization]
Walker State Prison
[facility]
Ware State Prison
[facility]
Wilcox State Prison
[facility]