prison costs

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.

Georgia’s $40 Billion Mistake: How Bad Science and Federal Bribes Created a Constitutional Crisis

Georgia prison facility with statistics overlay showing 100 homicides and $40 billion spent

Georgia spent $40 billion on Truth in Sentencing laws that academic research proves make prisons deadlier and increase crime. The policies—rooted in the discredited “superpredator” myth and response to lead poisoning the government allowed for 70 years—created what the DOJ calls “among the most severe constitutional violations” nationwide. One hundred homicides occurred in Georgia prisons in 2024 alone. California and Mississippi reformed similar laws and achieved better safety outcomes at lower cost. The evidence for reform is overwhelming. The question is whether Georgia will act.