"He's on Tier": What Georgia's Prison Segregation System Is and How It Works
A family guide to Georgia's Tier segregation system: Tier I, Tier II, the Special Management Unit and STEP, under GDC's own rules, with GDC's bed counts.
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GDC's Tier II policy says it 'is not a punishment measure.' The same policy sets no maximum stay. GDC reported 1,028 of 1,163 Tier II, Tier III and STEP beds occupied as of October 2026. https://gps.press/hes-on-tier-what-georgias-prison-segregation-system-is-and-how...
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Georgia's Department of Corrections calls Tier II 'an offender management process' that 'is not a punishment measure.' The written policy sets no maximum stay, and GDC's own discipline policy points to Tier II when isolation imposed as a sanction would run past 30 days.
GDC reported 1,163 Tier II, Tier III and STEP beds, with 1,028 occupied, as of October 2026. Hays State Prison holds 210 Tier II and STEP beds, and every one is occupied. If the rules are supposed to protect people, what does it mean when the numbers show the system nearly full?
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GDC's Tier II policy calls the program 'an offender management process' that 'is not a punishment measure.' The same policy sets no maximum stay. GDC reported 1,163 Tier II, Tier III and STEP beds, 1,028 occupied, as of October 2026. Tier II's written floor is five hours of exercise a week outside the cell.
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Georgia's Tier II segregation policy describes the program as 'an offender management process' that 'is not a punishment measure.' The written policy sets no maximum stay, and GDC's discipline policy directs people to Tier II when isolation imposed as a sanction would exceed 30 days. Tier II's written floor is five hours of exercise a week outside the cell.
GDC reported 1,163 Tier II, Tier III and STEP beds, 1,028 occupied, as of October 2026. Hays State Prison holds 210 Tier II and STEP beds, all occupied. For policymakers, the gap between the policy language and the conditions people describe inside is the question that matters.