80% of Voters Want Prison Reform. Does Your Legislator?

90% of both Republicans and Democrats support requiring prisons to offer education programs. Georgia is one of only two states blocking incarcerated students from state financial aid. https://gps.press/80-percent-of-voters-want-prison-reform/

A new national study reveals that reform works: states implementing prison education and rehabilitation programs see violence drop by 40-73% and recidivism fall by nearly one-third. Meanwhile, 90% of voters across party lines support prison education programs. Georgia appears nowhere among the states undertaking these proven reforms. Instead, it's one of only two states explicitly called out for blocking incarcerated students from state financial aid. While Maine offers PhD programs and Michigan graduates trade workers with half the recidivism rate, Georgia pays incarcerated workers nothing and releases 14,000 people annually without meaningful education or job training. When 90% of voters support something and their state refuses to act, is that representation? https://gps.press/80-percent-of-voters-want-prison-reform/

New research proves prison reform works: states investing in education and rehabilitation see violence drop 40-73% and recidivism fall by nearly one-third. Ninety percent of both Republicans and Democrats support prison education programs. Yet Georgia is one of only two states blocking incarcerated students from state financial aid, appearing nowhere among states implementing proven reforms. While other states graduate trade workers and PhD candidates, Georgia pays incarcerated workers nothing and releases 14,000 people annually without meaningful preparation for reentry. #GeorgiaPrisons #PrisonReform #CriminalJustice #GPS #MassIncarceration #Georgia

A comprehensive three-year study by the Brennan Center for Justice documents remarkable outcomes when states invest in prison reform: violence reductions of 40-73%, recidivism drops of nearly one-third, and staff who report feeling safe and enjoying their work. These results come from diverse states implementing education programs, vocational training, and evidence-based rehabilitation. The study also identifies policy failures. Georgia is one of only two states explicitly called out for blocking incarcerated students from state financial aid, despite 90% bipartisan voter support for prison education programs. While Michigan's vocational graduates have half the recidivism rate of the general population and Maine offers PhD programs behind bars, Georgia pays incarcerated workers nothing and lacks systematic reentry preparation for the 14,000 people it releases annually. When evidence-based solutions exist and voters support them overwhelmingly, the question becomes whether elected officials will act on what their constituents want. https://gps.press/80-percent-of-voters-want-prison-reform/