Legislation/Policy Origin
The Model State — ALEC and the Georgia General Assembly
This document provides a strategic research framework for investigating the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and private corrections vendors on Georgia's criminal justice system. It identifies a well-sourced nexus between ALEC, private prison operators (CoreCivic, GEO Group), and telecom vendors (Securus), while also detailing a significant accountability gap created by the Georgia Court of Appeals' ruling in Institute for Justice v. Reilly, which exempts the General Assembly from the Open Records Act. The analysis recommends a phased action plan focusing on open-records requests to executive agencies, building a legislative text-similarity pipeline, and rigorously distinguishing between documented facts and unverified allegations to construct a defensible, evidence-based narrative.
Key Findings
The most impactful data from this research collection.
400
ALEC Lost 400 Legislators
Statistic2,100
Over 1,700 Copycat Bills Enacted
Statistic$49.07
Private Prisons Cost 10% More
Statistic$140.0M
$140 Million Annual Private Prison Spend
StatisticGeorgia Legislature Exempt from Open Records
Legal factALEC's Tax-Exempt Status Challenged
Legal factALEC Not Registered as Lobbyist Principal
Data gapAll Data Points
77 verified data points extracted from primary sources.
ALEC FY2024 Total Revenue Statistic
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) reported total revenue of $10,918,816 for fiscal year 2024.
$10.9M USD
CCA/CoreCivic co-chaired ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force in early 1990s Finding
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA, now CoreCivic) co-chaired ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force in the early 1990s, per In These Times reporting by Beau Hodai (2010).
ALEC FY2024 Contributions as Percentage of Revenue Statistic
Contributions of $9,508,430 constituted 87.1% of ALEC's total revenue in FY2024.
87.1%
CCA/CoreCivic left ALEC in late 2010 or 2011 Finding
Per ALEC Exposed (Center for Media and Democracy), CCA left ALEC in late 2010 after years of membership on the Criminal Justice Task Force. Prison Legal News states that CCA reportedly left the organization in 2011.
ALEC CEO Compensation FY2024 Statistic
ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson received $507,409 in compensation in FY2024, with an additional $20,380 in other compensation.
$507,409 USD
CCA and CoreCivic have denied lobbying for harsher sentencing Finding
CCA and CoreCivic have denied lobbying for harsher sentencing.
ALEC FY2023 Total Revenue Statistic
ALEC reported total revenue of $11,289,177 for fiscal year 2023.
$11.3M USD
GEO Group was a member of ALEC's crime task force during the 1990s Finding
GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections) was a member of ALEC's crime task force during the 1990s truth-in-sentencing and three-strikes push. It departed amid the 2011–2013 exodus.
Estimated ALEC Corporate-Funded Travel for Legislators 2006-2012 Statistic
A 2012 report by the Center for Media and Democracy, Common Cause, and DBA Press estimated that ALEC's corporate backers funneled more than an estimated $4 million in gifts to state legislators for travel, hotel rooms, and meals at resorts since 200…
$4.0M USD
American Bail Coalition is an executive member of ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force Finding
The American Bail Coalition is an executive member of the Public Safety and Elections Task Force and remains central to ALEC, with its representative listed as ALEC's 2026 National Chairman on ALEC's leadership page.
Estimated Annual ALEC Spending on Legislator Trips 2006-2008 Statistic
In the 2006–2008 period, ALEC was spending about $600,000 annually on trips for state legislators, according to a 2012 report based on internal ALEC records.
$600,000 USD
ALEC disbanded the Public Safety and Elections Task Force in April 2012 Finding
ALEC disbanded the Public Safety and Elections Task Force in April 2012 following the Trayvon Martin and 'Stand Your Ground' boycott.
Number of ALEC Model Bills Leaked in 2011 Statistic
On July 13, 2011, the Center for Media and Democracy and The Nation published more than 800 ALEC model bills and resolutions.
800 model bills
ALEC lost almost 400 state legislators and over 60 corporate members by 2013 Statistic
The Guardian (December 6, 2013), citing internal ALEC records, reported that ALEC had lost almost 400 state legislators from its membership over the previous two years, as well as more than 60 corporations forming the core of its funding.
400 legislators
Number of Copycat Bills Found in USA TODAY/CPI Investigation Statistic
The 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' investigation found at least 10,000 copycat bills introduced in state legislatures, of which more than 2,100 were enacted.
10,000 bills
ALEC suffered a budget hole of more than a third of projected income in first half of 2013 Finding
The Guardian (December 6, 2013) reported that in the first six months of 2013 ALEC suffered a budget hole of more than a third of its projected income.
Number of Enacted Copycat Bills Found in USA TODAY/CPI Investigation Statistic
The 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' investigation found more than 2,100 copycat bills were enacted into law.
2,100 bills
ALEC corporate members fell from a 2011 peak of 280 to 214 Statistic
The Guardian reported that ALEC's corporate members had fallen from a 2011 peak of 280 to 214.
214 corporate members vs. 2011 peak
Bill Similarity Score Threshold for 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' Methodology note
The 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' investigation only cited bills scoring 80 or above on a 100-point similarity scale as containing substantial amounts of duplicated text.
Data gap: No direct ALEC task-force membership surfaced for most healthcare, food, and commissary firms Data gap
The record confirms ALEC's sector ties in private prisons and bail, but did NOT surface direct ALEC task-force membership for most healthcare, food, and commissary firms. This is a data gap that should not be overstated.
Number of Model Legislation Pieces in University of Chicago Dataset Statistic
The University of Chicago Data Science for Social Good 'policy_diffusion' repository collected approximately 2,400 pieces of model legislation from five groups including ALEC.
2,400 model legislation pieces
CoreCivic operates three Georgia facilities: Coffee, Wheeler, and Jenkins Finding
CoreCivic operates three Georgia facilities: Coffee Correctional Facility (Nicholls; opened 1998; approximately 2,900 to 3,032 beds), Wheeler Correctional Facility (Alamo; opened 1998; approximately 2,874 beds), and Jenkins Correctional Center (Mill…
Number of Bill-to-Bill Reuse Instances Found by LID Statistic
The Legislative Influence Detector (LID) project found 45,405 bill-to-bill reuse instances.
45,405 reuse instances
GEO Group operates one Georgia facility: Riverbend Correctional Facility Finding
GEO Group operates one facility in Georgia: Riverbend Correctional Facility.
Number of Model-Legislation-to-Bill Reuse Instances Found by LID Statistic
The Legislative Influence Detector (LID) project found 14,137 model-legislation-to-bill reuse instances.
14,137 reuse instances
D. Ray James facility exited the Georgia state continuum and is now a federal facility Finding
D. Ray James (Folkston), built and operated by Cornell Companies, Inc. under a 1997 contract, has since exited the state continuum and is now a federal facility.
Georgia ALEC State Chairs in 2026 Finding
As of 2026, ALEC's official State Chairs page lists Rep. John Carson and Rep. Soo Hong as the two Georgia state chairs.
Georgia private prisons cost approximately 10 percent more per day than state prisons Statistic
The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts FY2018 audit found that when controlling for an offender's sex, facility size, and risk classification, state prisons run about $44.56 per offender per day while private prisons run around $49.07 per day…
$49.07 vs. state prison cost per day per offender
John Carson on ALEC National Board of Directors Finding
Rep. John Carson sits on ALEC's national Board of Directors, confirmed by ALEC's May 2024 board roster and IRS Form 990 filings for FY2023 and FY2024.
Georgia pays CoreCivic and GEO Group approximately $140 million annually for roughly 7,800 inmates Statistic
GDC's four private prisons house roughly 7,800 inmates, about 15 percent of the total population, for which the state pays CoreCivic and GEO Group a collective approximately $140 million annually.
$140.0M
Chip Rogers' ALEC Role Confirmed on Camera Quote
Former Sen. Chip Rogers confirmed his ALEC role on camera to CBS News, stating that legislators pay '$50 a year' to belong.
GEO Group disputed the FY2018 audit methodology Finding
GEO Group disputed the audit methodology of the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts FY2018 audit.
Georgia General Assembly Exempt from Open Records Act Legal fact
The Georgia General Assembly and its offices are exempt from the Open Records Act per Institute for Justice v. Reilly, 351 Ga. App. 317 (2019).
FY2026 budget increases per-diem funding for private prisons Statistic
The Governor's FY2026 budget (HB 68) increased per-diem funding by facility as follows: Coffee plus $3,033,827; Wheeler plus $3,208,871; Jenkins plus $3,654,586; Riverbend plus $3,750,000.
$13.6M
Legislative Counsel Drafting Communications Exempt from Disclosure Legal fact
Legislative Counsel drafting communications are separately exempt from disclosure under O.C.G.A. § 28-4-3.1.
GDC's inmate telecom vendor is Securus (Aventiv) Finding
GDC's original inmate-phone contract with Securus dates to September 21, 2016, with a First Amendment effective January 1, 2017. GDC received a $4 million one-time incentive and a 59.6 percent commission on call revenue, subject to a $325,000 per mo…
ALEC's 501(c)(3) Status and IRS Whistleblower Complaint Legal fact
ALEC remains a 501(c)(3) organization and is the subject of a still-unresolved Common Cause / Center for Media and Democracy IRS whistleblower complaint filed in 2012 and supplemented in 2013, 2015, and 2016, centered on its corporate-funded 'schola…
Data gap: Current renewed Securus contract terms require an open records request Data gap
The current renewed contract's exact terms require a Georgia Open Records Act request to GDC.
Georgia Lobbyist Expenditure Reporting Requirement Legal fact
Lobbyists must file expenditure disclosures via the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission's electronic filing system under O.C.G.A. § 21-5-73, naming the public officer benefited.
Statewide package vendor is reported as Union Supply Group Finding
The statewide package vendor is reported, on secondary sourcing, as Union Supply Group. Keefe Group and TKC Holdings appear at the Georgia county-jail level but are NOT confirmed as the statewide GDC vendor.
Georgia Public Officer Lobbyist Expenditure Ban Legal fact
Since a 2013 ethics law, public officers may not accept lobbyist expenditures, subject to enumerated exceptions under O.C.G.A. § 21-5-72.1.
GDC food service appears to be state-run at approximately 60 cents per meal Statistic
The Marshall Project (2026) reported that the Georgia corrections department's food system is state-run, at approximately 60 cents per meal.
$0.60
Georgia Legislator Financial Disclosures Do Not Require Gift Disclosure Legal fact
Legislator annual financial disclosures do NOT require disclosure of gifts and do not include client names, per O.C.G.A. § 21-5-50(b).
Data gap: Statewide GDC food or commissary vendor not confirmed as Keefe, Trinity, or Aramark Data gap
The claim that Keefe, Trinity Services Group, or Aramark holds the statewide GDC food or commissary contract is NOT supported by the current record and must be verified by open-records request.
Georgia Gift Definition Threshold Legal fact
The 'gift' definition in Georgia applies only to transfers over $100, per O.C.G.A. § 21-5-3(14).
Martha Wright-Reed Act signed January 5, 2023 Legal fact
The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act was signed January 5, 2023 (Public Law 117-338).
ALEC Scholarship Travel May Fall Outside Georgia Lobbyist Reporting Finding
If ALEC, a 501(c)(3) 'educational' organization and not a registered lobbyist principal, pays a Georgia legislator's travel via a 'scholarship,' that payment may fall outside the lobbyist-expenditure reporting regime entirely, because it is not rout…
FCC rate-cap order capped prison phone rates at 6 cents per minute effective January 1, 2025 Legal fact
The rate-cap order FCC 24-75 was adopted July 18, 2024 and released July 22, 2024 in WC Docket 23-62, capping prison phone rates at 6 cents per minute effective January 1, 2025 for prisons and large jails and April 1, 2025 for smaller jails, and ban…
No Record of ALEC Registering as Lobbyist Principal in Georgia Data gap
No record was found of ALEC registering as a lobbyist principal in Georgia; its 501(c)(3) educational posture is the stated basis for not doing so.
FCC waiver postponed IPCS compliance deadlines to April 1, 2027 Legal fact
On June 30, 2025, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau issued waiver order DA 25-565 postponing compliance to April 1, 2027 — an up-to-two-year delay announced by Chairman Brendan Carr, with Commissioner Anna Gomez dissenting.
CoreCivic Historical Role in ALEC Criminal Justice Task Force Finding
CoreCivic (then Corrections Corporation of America) co-chaired ALEC's Criminal Justice Task Force in the early 1990s and left in late 2010.
Georgia Court of Appeals held General Assembly exempt from Open Records Act Legal fact
In Institute for Justice v. Reilly, 351 Ga. App. 317, 830 S.E.2d 793 (2019), the Georgia Court of Appeals held, by a 2-1 vote, that the General Assembly and all its related offices are not subject to the Open Records Act.
ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force Disbanded Finding
ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force disbanded in April 2012.
Chief Judge McFadden dissented in Institute for Justice v. Reilly Finding
Chief Judge McFadden dissented, arguing that the phrase 'every state office' is clear and unmistakable.
Georgia's 1994 Sentencing Law Predates Leaked ALEC Corpus Finding
Georgia's foundational sentencing statutes, the 'seven deadly sins' (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-6.1) and two-strikes law (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-7), enacted in 1994, predate the leaked ALEC model-bill corpus and cannot currently be shown to be textual copies of an …
O.C.G.A. § 28-4-3.1 exempts communications between Legislative Counsel and legislators Legal fact
O.C.G.A. § 28-4-3.1 exempts communications between the Office of Legislative Counsel and legislators from the Open Records Act.
Georgia HB 87 Modeled on Arizona SB 1070 Finding
Georgia HB 87 (2011), the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act, was explicitly modeled on Arizona's SB 1070, which is the most strongly documented ALEC-linked bill in the country.
O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(12) exempts staff-service records of individual members Legal fact
O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(12) exempts staff-service records of individual members from the Open Records Act.
No Documentation of GDC Personnel at ALEC Events Data gap
No documentation was found placing Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Board of Corrections, Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, or Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia personnel at ALEC events or on ALEC task forces.
Georgia is a 'hard-shield' state for legislative open records Finding
This makes Georgia a hard-shield state, closer to the failure end of the spectrum, where ALEC-related legislator record requests have failed because the legislature is exempt from public-records law.
Pre-2001 Georgia Bills Not Machine-Readable Data gap
Pre-2001 and pre-1990 Georgia legislative sessions, including the pivotal 1994 Sentence Reform Act, are effectively not machine-readable, existing as scanned PDFs, bound session laws, and microfiche.
Data gap: No specific enacted model-bill-disclosure statute cited as drafting precedent Data gap
The record did not surface a specific enacted model-bill-disclosure statute to cite as drafting precedent. The project should locate, as candidate precedents, transparency bills requiring legislators to disclose the origin of introduced bills or to …
ALEC Created 501(c)(4) Jeffersonian Project in 2013 Finding
ALEC created a 501(c)(4) lobbying arm, the Jeffersonian Project, in 2013 in direct response to the Common Cause and Center for Media and Democracy complaints.
ALEC's criminal-justice work migrated to a Justice Performance Project after 2012 Finding
After the April 2012 disbanding of the Public Safety and Elections Task Force, criminal-justice work migrated to a Justice Performance Project and later to a standalone Criminal Justice task force, which ALEC's current site lists among its task forc…
Smith-Waterman Algorithm Used for Bill Similarity Detection Methodology note
Both the USA TODAY/CPI 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' investigation and the University of Chicago's Legislative Influence Detector used the Smith-Waterman local alignment algorithm to detect text reuse in legislation.
ALEC claims the FIRST STEP Act was driven by its members Finding
ALEC's website states that the historic FIRST STEP Act was driven by ALEC members, and CEO Lisa Nelson said ALEC took all of the positive policy that came out of the states and brought it to Washington.
Independent accounts credit First Step Act to a broad bipartisan coalition, not ALEC specifically Finding
Independent accounts, including the Brennan Center for Justice and the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, credit the First Step Act (2018) to a broad bipartisan coalition years in the making. ALEC's claim is best characterized as partially su…
Georgia's 2011–2016 reforms were driven by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform Finding
Georgia's 2011–2016 reforms under Gov. Nathan Deal were driven by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform, created in 2011, with technical assistance from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and its Right on Crime in…
HB 1176 (2012) passed unanimously and was signed May 2, 2012 Legal fact
The landmark HB 1176 (2012), sponsored by Rep. Rich Golick, passed unanimously and was signed May 2, 2012.
ALEC has consistently responded that taking policy positions is not lobbying Quote
ALEC has consistently responded that taking policy positions is not lobbying — a statement from ALEC's Raegan Weber to ProPublica in 2011 — and that a model bill works through the very public legislative process afterward.
Brendan Keefe ejected from Savannah ALEC meeting in 2015 Case detail
Brendan Keefe, a reporter for WXIA / 11Alive, was ejected from the Savannah ALEC meeting while investigating 'A charity for lawmakers? ALEC feeds them bills,' which aired July 2, 2015.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation is a State Policy Network member Finding
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation is a State Policy Network member and publicly promoted the 'smart on crime' reforms. It is the most plausible in-state ALEC-adjacent organization.
Methodology: 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' threshold of 80 on 100-point scale for text similarity Methodology note
The project should adopt the 'Copy, Paste, Legislate' threshold of 80 or above on a 100-point scale for legislative text similarity, cite only above it, apply human review, and explicitly disclose the shared-ideology confound.
Falsification criteria for core thesis defined Methodology note
What would falsify the core thesis: (a) the similarity pipeline finds no match scoring 80 or above between any Georgia statute and any dated ALEC model; (b) open-records responses show no GDC, Board of Corrections, Board of Pardons and Paroles, or P…
Georgia's foundational 1994 sentencing laws predate the leaked ALEC corpus Methodology note
Georgia's foundational sentencing laws, enacted in 1994, predate the leaked ALEC corpus and cannot presently be shown to be textual copies. Do not assert that ALEC wrote any Georgia statute without a text match.
Common Cause IRS complaint against ALEC remains unadjudicated Finding
The Common Cause IRS complaint remains unadjudicated.
Bruce Thompson 2015 Savannah meals allegation is unproven Finding
The Bruce Thompson 2015 Savannah meals allegation is unproven.
Sources
45 cited sources backing this research.
Secondary
Journalism
Primary
Journalism
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Journalism
Primary
Press release
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Official report
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Official report
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Press release
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Official report
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Official report
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Journalism
Brendan Keefe, 'A charity for lawmakers? ALEC feeds them bills,' WXIA / 11Alive, July 2, 2015
Primary
Journalism
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Legal document
FCC 24-75 rate-cap order
Secondary
Journalism
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Legal document
Primary
Official report
Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts FY2018 audit
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Official report
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Official report
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Journalism
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Journalism
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Gps original
GPS original analysis
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Press release
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Legislation
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Journalism
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Journalism
In These Times reporting by Beau Hodai (2010)
Primary
Legal document
Institute for Justice v. Reilly, 351 Ga. App. 317 (2019)
Secondary
Press release
Primary
Data portal
Primary
Data portal
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Official report
Primary
Legislation
Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act (Public Law 117-338)
Primary
Legal document
O.C.G.A. § 28-4-3.1
Primary
Legal document
O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(12)
Secondary
Journalism
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Journalism
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Official report
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Official report
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Official report
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Official report
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The Guardian (December 6, 2013)
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The Marshall Project (2026)
Secondary
Press release
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Legal document
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Journalism
Secondary
Journalism
Key Entities
Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.
ALEC
[organization]
American Bail Coalition
[organization]
Brendan Keefe
[person]
Bruce Thompson
[person]
Center for Media and Democracy
[organization]
Chip Rogers
[person]
Coffee Correctional Facility
[facility]
Common Cause
[organization]
CoreCivic
[organization]
D. Ray James Correctional Facility
[facility]
Federal Communications Commission
[organization]
GDC
[organization]
GEO Group
[organization]
Georgia Board of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles
[organization]
Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform
[organization]
Georgia Department of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia General Assembly
[organization]
Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission
[organization]
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
[organization]
HB 1176
[legislation]
HB 87
[legislation]
IRS
[organization]
Jeffersonian Project
[organization]
Jenkins Correctional Center
[facility]
John Carson
[person]
Lisa B. Nelson
[person]
Rich Golick
[person]
Right on Crime
[organization]
Riverbend Correctional Facility
[facility]
Securus
[organization]
Soo Hong
[person]
State Policy Network
[organization]
Union Supply Group
[organization]
Wheeler Correctional Facility
[facility]
Related Topics
Research topics that draw on data from this collection.
Communications & Technology
Georgia has built a $50 million contraband technology apparatus to block illicit cellphones—yet record deaths, soaring violence, and a flood of recovered phones reveal a system that enriches private vendors and the state rather than ensuring safety. While the Department of Corrections collects $8 million per year in phone-call kickbacks, families are forced to pay outrageous commissary markups and communication fees that push them into debt, making them the hidden financiers of a broken prison system.
2,149 data points
Historical Context
Georgia’s prison system is rooted in the post-Civil War convict leasing regime that exploited Black labor under brutal, often lethal conditions, and it continues to operate as an engine of racial and economic exploitation into 2025. From lead poisoning’s hidden role in crime waves to the federal takeover of Georgia State Prison for unconstitutionally overcrowded conditions, this page traces how a crisis-ridden system repeatedly reforms only to regress, culminating in a $634 million spending infusion that still lacks independent oversight.
930 data points
Legal Standards & Case Law
Georgia's prison system operates in persistent violation of constitutional standards established by decades of landmark federal litigation, from Guthrie v. Evans (1972) to the DOJ's October 2024 investigation findings — yet systemic reform remains elusive. The Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, as interpreted through evolving case law, creates clear legal obligations around medical care, conditions of confinement, and protection from violence that Georgia has repeatedly failed to meet. This page synthesizes the constitutional framework, key case law, and the documented gap between legal mandates and Georgia Department of Corrections reality.
3,420 data points
Oversight & Accountability
Georgia's prison oversight architecture has failed at every level — legislative, judicial, executive, and administrative — producing a system where 142 documented homicides, a 50% staffing vacancy rate, and $634 million in emergency spending coexist with no meaningful accountability for the officials responsible. The Georgia Department of Corrections operates with near-total opacity, manipulates its own mortality data, collects millions in kickbacks from vendors it is supposed to regulate, and has twice required federal court intervention — first in 1972 and again in 2024 — because internal oversight mechanisms do not function. What exists in Georgia is not a flawed oversight system; it is the systematic absence of one.
5,059 data points
Parole & Sentencing
Georgia's parole system acts as a critical but constrained release valve, with the Parole Board granting release to just over a quarter of eligible cases while the state's prison population ages and violence surges. Despite evidence that parolees successfully complete supervision at a 72% rate and annual cost avoidance from parole exceeds $343 million, harsh sentencing patterns and risk-averse parole decisions continue to drive mass incarceration at a cost of approximately $1.8 billion per year.
2,196 data points
Policy & Advocacy
Georgia's prison system consumes $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds annually while failing to deliver safety, rehabilitation, or basic human dignity. This article maps the policy architecture that perpetuates these failures, the advocacy strategies challenging them, and the evidence-based reforms that could redirect Georgia's punitive machinery toward genuine public safety.
4,094 data points