Pulaski State Prison Crisis: Untested Warden, Deadly History

Pulaski State Prison - Georgia - Crisis

GPS investigates Pulaski State Prison under Warden Wendy Jackson, tracing how an untested leader inherited a facility scarred by decades of lethal medical neglect, gang violence, sexual assault, and federal findings of unconstitutional conditions — and what families are reporting now.

Three Weeks Under a Bunk: Torture at Macon State Prison

Tortured at Macon SP

Christian Krauch was tortured for three weeks at Macon State Prison in June 2024 — bound, stabbed, burned, and left under a bunk while GDC submitted 168 phantom inmate counts. He lost his right hand and leg to amputation. The state said nothing. No arrests were made.

The Death of Habeas Corpus Is Killing Innocent People

Georgia's restriction on Habeas Corpus electively kills the 830 year writ

For 830 years, habeas corpus protected the innocent from unlawful imprisonment—until Georgia destroyed it. The 2004 four-year deadline traps wrongfully convicted people in a prison system that killed 100+ by homicide in 2024. The Great Writ is dead. The innocent are dying with it.

Separate the Gangs or Keep Burying the Dead

Empty corridor during extended lockdown

The DOJ told Georgia to separate gang members. Georgia refused. Now 100+ die annually. Arizona cut violence 50% with gang segregation. After the January 2026 Washington SP massacre killed 4, Georgia’s prisons remain on lockdown—but lockdowns don’t stop gang wars. They postpone them. Separate the gangs or keep burying the dead.

Does Georgia Profit from Inmate Deaths Through Insurance?

A social media claim suggests GDC profits from inmate deaths through insurance policies. While the “dead peasant insurance” scandal was real for corporations, no evidence supports this theory for prisons. The documented abuses are damning enough.

The Illusion of Parole

The Illusion of Parole

Analysis of 257,000 GDC records shows that 37% of Georgia parolees were released within 12 months of their max-out date. Lifers now serve 31 years before release—up from 12.5 years in 1992. The system preserves the appearance of clemency while systematically denying meaningful early release.

$700 Million More—And Nothing to Show for It

$700 Million spent, only body bags to show

Georgia added $700 million to its corrections budget between FY 2022 and FY 2026—the fastest spending growth in agency history. Prison homicides rose from 8 annually to 100 in 2024. Staffing remains 50-76% vacant. The DOJ found healthcare unconstitutional. The money bought nothing.

Georgia’s Shadow Sentencing System

GDC’s own data shows Georgia prisoners now serve 27% longer than a decade ago—not because of new laws, but because the Parole Board quietly curtailed releases. At $86.61 per day, this shadow sentencing system costs taxpayers over $1 billion annually.