Solitary Confinement / Restrictive Housing
Georgia's Tier System and STEP in the Press and the Courts
This collection sets out facts from public sources on the subject in its title, drawn from Georgia, federal sources, national and multi-state sources and other sources. Each entry gives a short statement, the exact passage from the source that supports it, and the source's title, web address and the date it was retrieved. Searches of a source that found no match are listed too, with the wordings that were tried. The entries record what each source said when it was retrieved. They aren't a complete account of the subject, and they don't add analysis or conclusions.
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 5 topics; open one to see how they fit with the rest of the evidence.
Georgia's Tier Segregation System
Georgia's Tier Segregation System is a five-policy ladder — Tier I, Tier II, Tier II STEP, Tier III, Tier III STEP — that the Department of Corrections built in August 2013 by converting 2,721 beds at every Level V facility. The Department publishes a population for only one rung of it, the Special Management Unit at Jackson, because that unit happens to be carried as its own facility in the monthly statistical profile; the far larger Tier II programme sits inside ordinary prisons and disappears into their totals. Everything else in this page — the per-facility bed counts, the cell counts, the conditions — comes from documents GDC was required to produce (PREA audits, open-records responses, court filings) rather than from anything the agency volunteers, and those documents disagree with each other in ways that are themselves part of the finding.
1,009 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
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
Policy & Advocacy
Georgia's policy and advocacy landscape is defined by a paradox: a decade of bipartisan sentencing reform that measurably reduced incarceration and racial disparity, followed by a sharp reversal toward prison construction, surveillance technology, and record spending attached to no independent oversight. Legislative victories on wrongful conviction compensation, survivor justice, and out-of-time appeals sit alongside bills that died in the last minutes of session — an independent prison ombudsman, restrictive housing limits, parole transparency — and a post-conviction system the Chief Justice of Georgia calls 'a mess' that only the legislature can fix. The 2026 statewide elections and an unresolved federal investigation are the two live pressure points advocates are organizing around.
7,412 data points
Solitary Confinement
Georgia confines thousands of people in a three-tier segregation system it does not call solitary confinement and does not fully count. Its written policy floors put people in Tier I and Tier II in a cell 23.3 hours a day, and its Special Management Unit has held people for years after its own experts described the harm as possibly irreversible. The published record shows the program with the weakest rules — Tier II — is more than five times the size of the unit a federal court reformed.
2,292 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
The Southern Center for Human Rights reported that over 70 percent of the approximately 300 people held in Georgia State Prison's 'Tier II' solitary confinement program had serious mental illness. The figure was cited in connection with a federal lawsuit filed September 10 by SCHR and Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP on behalf of people in solitary confinement at GSP.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
By SCHR's account, Georgia State Prison's Tier II solitary program held mostly people with serious mental illness, so its confinement fell mainly on that group; SCHR cited the figure with its federal lawsuit over solitary conditions at GSP.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
Prison Legal News reported that a complaint alleged a guard vacancy rate around 60% at Georgia State Prison contributed to understaffing, and that required cell checks were not performed.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Staffing levels at Georgia State Prison became an issue in court through this complaint, which alleged, separately, that required cell checks went undone; Prison Legal News reported the prisoner's challenge to conditions survived a motion to dismiss.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
Prison Legal News reported that five prisoners died in the Tier II program by suicide or homicide from 2020 to 2021.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Tier II did not keep everyone held in it safe, with deaths by suicide or homicide inside the program; the same Prison Legal News report describes alleged understaffing and missed cell checks at Georgia State Prison.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
A 100-page contempt order by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell found that GDC officials at the Special Management Unit were 'obstinately disobedient, making no real effort to affect change,' and quoted the court's own passage that defendants 'were running a four-corner offense and had no desire or intention to comply.'
Why it matters · GPS commentary
A court finding of contempt put GDC officials on record as having broken their own promises at the Special Management Unit; a later fee order credits the court-appointed monitor and hefty daily contempt fines with fixing or beginning to fix most problems there.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
A later fee order in the SMU case states that the court found the defendants had purged themselves of their contemptuous misconduct, and credits 'the guiding hand of court-appointed monitor Gary Mohr (and hefty daily contempt fines)' with fixing or beginning to fix most problems in the SMU. The parties' settlement agreement also required defendants to pay the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and expenses.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Court supervision produced results where GDC's own promises had not: by the court's account, fixes at the Special Management Unit came under a monitor and daily fines, and the defendants also had to pay the plaintiffs' legal costs.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
In his order, Treadwell said the plaintiffs presented 'overwhelming evidence' that inmates remained in their cells between 22 and 24 hours a day and did not receive the required minimum of at least two hours a week of classroom time.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Required classroom time and time out of cell were concrete, checkable terms, and the court found people still spent nearly the whole day locked in, showing the reforms existed on paper but not in daily practice.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
Judge Marc T. Treadwell wrote in an August order, 'The Court has long passed the point where it can assume that even sworn statements from the defendants are truthful'
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Once a federal judge stops crediting GDC's sworn statements, the department's public accounts of its restrictive housing reforms can no longer be taken at face value, which puts weight on court monitoring and independent evidence.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.All Data Points
37 verified data points extracted from primary sources.
GDC Tier Segregation System Implementation Date Policy
A GDC Facilities Division Fact Sheet states that GDC's Tier Segregation system was implemented in August 2013, as a stratification-oriented pathway for an offender to transition from Administrative Segregation to lower-security levels.
SCHR: Over 70% of ~300 in GSP Tier II had serious mental illness Statistic
The Southern Center for Human Rights reported that over 70 percent of the approximately 300 people held in Georgia State Prison's 'Tier II' solitary confinement program had serious mental illness. The figure was cited in connection with a federal lawsuit filed September 10 by SCHR and Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP on behalf of people in solitary confinement at GSP.
70%
Betty Bailey Dean assigned as Tier Segregation Manager/Coordinator Case detail
GDC Commissioner Brian Owens announced the assignment of Betty Bailey Dean for Developmental Assignment in Facilities Operations effective September 1, 2013. On Developmental Assignment, Dean served as the Tier Segregation Manager/Coordinator.
Tier II Program Description by GDC Statewide Manager Finding
GDC Board of Corrections minutes record that Statewide Tier Segregation Manager Otis Stanton told the Board the Tier Segregation Management System 'is a facility-wide stratification plan that manages the institutional conduct and programmatic needs of the assigned population'
Approximately 300 people held in GSP Tier II program Statistic
Approximately 300 people were held in Georgia State Prison's 'Tier II' solitary confinement program, according to the Southern Center for Human Rights' description of the population covered by its federal lawsuit.
300 people
GDC Description of Tier II Program Finding
SCHR quoted GDC's own description of its statewide solitary confinement program: 'The Tier II [P]rogram is a part of a comprehensive facility-wide stratification plan that will manage the institutional conduct and programmatic need of the assigned population'
SCHR and Kilpatrick Townsend filed federal lawsuit over GSP solitary conditions Case detail
On September 10, the Southern Center for Human Rights and Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of people held in solitary confinement at Georgia State Prison (GSP), alleging deplorable conditions.
Khalid Mouton Held in Tier II at Georgia State Prison Case detail
Prison Legal News reported that while incarcerated at Georgia State Prison from November 1, 2018 to January 7, 2021, Khalid Mouton was held in the Tier II program, described as segregation lasting '23 to 24 hours a day'
Guard Vacancy Rate at Georgia State Prison Statistic
Prison Legal News reported that a complaint alleged a guard vacancy rate around 60% at Georgia State Prison contributed to understaffing, and that required cell checks were not performed.
60%
Deaths in Tier II Program 2020-2021 Statistic
Prison Legal News reported that five prisoners died in the Tier II program by suicide or homicide from 2020 to 2021.
5 deaths
Suicides at Georgia State Prison 2014-2018 Statistic
Prison Legal News reported that 14 prisoners had committed suicide at Georgia State Prison between 2014 and 2018.
14 suicides
SMU Population Decrease After Reforms Statistic
SCHR reported that the Special Management Unit population 'decreased significantly due to the recent reforms,' from 180 in October 2017 to about 100 at the time of the press release.
100 people vs. 180 October 2017 population
Tier Population as of October 2025 Statistic
SCHR reported that as of October 2025, more than 2,100 people were housed in Georgia's 'tiers,' including almost 1,000 people in the long-term tiers, citing a GDC Tier Management Bed Report obtained via Open Records Act.
2,100 people vs. 1,000 long-term tier population
AJC headline: judge imposes fines, monitor on Georgia prison Finding
An AJC article is headlined 'Frustrated federal judge imposes fines, monitor on Georgia prison,' with the subheadline 'Prison officials accused of stalling, falsifying records in long-running lawsuit over conditions at high-security facility.'
GDC Statement on Restrictive Housing Reforms Finding
The Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement that it 'recognizes the national reforms surrounding restrictive housing, and we are actively engaged in moving forward with internal procedures that address these trends'
Judge Treadwell's 100-page contempt order: officials 'obstinately disobedient' Legal fact
A 100-page contempt order by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell found that GDC officials at the Special Management Unit were 'obstinately disobedient, making no real effort to affect change,' and quoted the court's own passage that defendants 'were running a four-corner offense and had no desire or intention to comply.'
NBC News Article Publication Date Methodology note
The NBC News article on Georgia's Special Management Unit solitary confinement, which quotes GDC's statement that it 'recognizes the national reforms surrounding restrictive housing,' was published Feb. 19, 2019.
Rick Jacobs identified as GA DOC Facilities Director overseeing Tier Step Down Program Finding
A Black Agenda Report commentary reported that Rick Jacobs, identified as the GA DOC Facilities Director, 'oversees the Tier Step Down Program.'
Tier II Program Start Date at Georgia State Prison Case detail
A letter published by sfbayview.com from Georgia State Prison prisoner Justin Sinclair Ashley stated that the prison 'began what is called the Administrative Segregation Tier II Program on July 16, 2014'
Fee order: defendants purged contempt; monitor Gary Mohr credited Legal fact
A later fee order in the SMU case states that the court found the defendants had purged themselves of their contemptuous misconduct, and credits 'the guiding hand of court-appointed monitor Gary Mohr (and hefty daily contempt fines)' with fixing or beginning to fix most problems in the SMU. The parties' settlement agreement also required defendants to pay the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and expenses.
House Bill 714 Restrictive Housing Provisions Finding
GDC Board of Corrections minutes record that House Bill 714, which did not pass, would have prohibited consecutive periods in restrictive housing and no more than 90 days total in restrictive housing per year unless the offender is a danger to himself/herself, others, or the security of the facility.
Fee order: SMU problems fixed after 'years of defiance and prevarication' Legal fact
The fee order credits 'court-appointed monitor Gary Mohr (and hefty daily contempt fines)' with the defendants having 'either fixed or were in the process of fixing most problems in the SMU' after 'years of defiance and prevarication.'
GDC Consent Decree and Contempt Finding Legal fact
The DOJ's October 2024 findings report on Georgia prisons states that since 2019 GDC has been subject to a consent decree in a civil rights class action challenging conditions of confinement in the Special Management Unit, and that in April 2024 the court overseeing the consent decree held GDC in contempt for failing to comply with court orders and imposed monetary sanctions until GDC comes into compliance.
No match for segregation/solitary terms in Georgia Senate press release on DOC study committee Data gap
A search of the Georgia Senate Press Office page 'Department of Corrections Facilities Senate Study Committee Adopts Final Committee Report' for the terms 'segregation,' 'solitary confinement,' and 'restrictive housing' returned no match.
DOJ Footnote 81 Citation for Contempt Order Legal fact
The DOJ report's footnote 81 cites the 'Revised Contempt Order, Doc. No. 485, Daughtry v. Emmons, et al., No. 5:15-cv-41-MTT (M.D. Ga. Apr. 23, 2024)' as the source for GDC being held in contempt over Special Management Unit conditions.
No match for Tier III/STEP terms in DOJ Georgia Prisons Investigation Findings Data gap
A search of the DOJ 'Georgia Prisons Investigation Findings' document for the terms 'Tier III,' 'segregation,' 'Special Management Unit,' 'step-down,' and 'STEP program' returned no match.
DOJ Definition of Segregation Legal fact
The DOJ report defines 'Segregation' as referring generally to any practice or program that involves (1) removal from the general population, whether voluntary or involuntary; (2) placement in a locked room or cell, whether alone or with another incarcerated person; and (3) the inability to leave the room or cell for most of the day, typically 22 hours or more.
DOJ Recommendation on Restrictive Housing Review Policy
The DOJ report recommends that GDC 'Conduct a review of restrictive housing unit practices and remedy all noncompliance with GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation (effective February 19, 2021) and applicable legal standards including PREA'
Senate Study Committee Recommendation on Single-Cell Facilities Policy
On Friday, December 13, the Department of Corrections Facilities Senate Study Committee voted unanimously to adopt its final report, which recommended converting all existing facilities and constructing all new facilities to single-person, single-cell facilities.
Judge Treadwell Contempt Finding Against GDC Legal fact
An Associated Press report states that U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell held Georgia Department of Corrections officials in contempt, threatening them with fines and ordering an independent monitor to ensure compliance with the settlement agreement for the Special Management Unit, after finding they showed 'no desire or intention' to make required changes to solitary confinement practices.
Dr. Craig Haney Report on SMU Conditions Case detail
Dr. Craig Haney's report, submitted to the court in 2018 by lawyers for prisoners, included images of prisoners with self-inflicted cuts, blood on the floor of one cell and the window of another, and descriptions of 'extraordinarily harsh' living conditions.
2019 Settlement Agreement Requirements Legal fact
The 2019 settlement agreement the court approved required prison officials to allow SMU prisoners out of their cells at least four hours each weekday and give them access to educational programming and materials.
Judge Treadwell Finding on Cell Time and Classroom Hours Legal fact
In his order, Treadwell said the plaintiffs presented 'overwhelming evidence' that inmates remained in their cells between 22 and 24 hours a day and did not receive the required minimum of at least two hours a week of classroom time.
Judge Treadwell Statement on GDC Truthfulness Finding
Judge Marc T. Treadwell wrote in an August order, 'The Court has long passed the point where it can assume that even sworn statements from the defendants are truthful'
Otis Stanton Promotion to Statewide Tier Segregation Manager Case detail
GDC Commissioner Brian Owens announced the promotion of Otis Stanton as Statewide Tier Segregation Manager for Facilities Operations, effective January 1, 2015, responsible for the processing of Tier segregation appeals and training and oversight of the Tier Management System.
Number of GDC Facilities with Tier Program Statistic
A GDC press release states the Special Management Unit at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison is one of 10 GDC facilities that have a Tier Program.
10 facilities
SMU Quarterly Review Panel for Long-Term Detainees Legal fact
The proposed Georgia SMU settlement agreement provides that in cases that meet narrowly defined circumstances resulting in prisoners being held in the unit longer than two years, a panel of senior security, legal and mental health professionals will conduct a quarterly review.
Sources
23 cited sources backing this research.
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Key Entities
Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.
Atteeyah Hollie
[person]
Balfour Beatty
[organization]
Betty Bailey Dean
[person]
Brian Owens
[person]
Craig Haney
[person]
Daughtry v. Emmons
[case]
Department of Corrections Facilities Senate Study Committee
[organization]
Gary Mohr
[person]
GDC SOP 209.06 Administrative Segregation
[organization]
Georgia Department of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison
[facility]
Georgia State Prison
[facility]
House Bill 714
[legislation]
Jackson Diagnostic
[facility]
Justin Sinclair Ashley
[person]
Khalid Mouton
[person]
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP
[organization]
Marc Treadwell
[person]
Otis Stanton
[person]
Randy Robertson
[person]
Rick Jacobs
[person]
Southern Center for Human Rights
[organization]
Special Management Unit
[facility]
Tier II
[program]
Tier II Program
[program]
Tier Segregation Program
[program]
Tier Step Down Program
[program]