Eight Questions for the Next Governor

At least 1,859 people have died in Georgia's prisons since 2020. The next governor inherits a system under federal investigation, with officer vacancy rates up to 80%. Both candidates were asked the same 8 questions. Only one answered. https://gps.press/eight-questio...

On July 25, Georgia Prisoners' Speak sent eight questions to both candidates for governor. The questions covered the DOJ's findings of Eighth Amendment violations, the 1,859 deaths in custody since 2020, officer vacancy rates as high as 80 percent, and the Department of Corrections' failure to publicly report how prisoners die. One campaign answered every question. The other has not responded. We published the answers in full, without endorsement. The same space remains available to the Jackson campaign. The decisions the next governor makes will determine whether families keep calling coroners one by one for answers the state already has. What do you believe the next governor's first priority should be?

Both candidates for governor were asked the same eight questions about Georgia's prisons. The questions covered the DOJ's findings of constitutional violations, the 1,859 deaths in custody since 2020, and the GDC's practice of recording homicides as unknown. One campaign answered. The other has not. Read the full exchange at the link in our bio. #GeorgiaPrisons #GDC #GeorgiaPolitics #CriminalJustice #PrisonReform #Accountability #GPSPress #GeorgiaNews

Georgia Prisoners' Speak submitted eight identical policy questions to both gubernatorial campaigns, addressing the DOJ's findings of constitutional violations, a death toll exceeding 1,859 since 2020, officer vacancy rates between 60 and 80 percent, and the systemic underreporting of in-custody homicides. The Bottoms campaign returned substantive, written answers to all eight questions, including a commitment to negotiate a consent agreement with the Justice Department and to mandate the public reporting of every in-custody death's cause and manner. The Jackson campaign has not responded. The full, unedited exchange is published as a matter of public record. The policy positions outlined—on independent oversight, prison construction, staffing, and post-conviction procedure—carry significant implications for the state's legal exposure, correctional workforce stability, and the transparency of mortality data. What structural oversight mechanism would you consider most effective for ensuring accountability within a state corrections agency?