Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Every week, Georgia Prisoners’ Speak receives messages from mothers, grandmothers, and loved ones who carry the invisible weight of incarceration — the financial, emotional, and spiritual toll of keeping someone alive inside Georgia’s prisons.
These are their words. Their pain. Their truth.
“He Just Wanted to See His Kids” — Peggy’s Story
“It makes me cry to see him getting beat up by the Muslims or anybody. He has such a good personality and likes everybody, something has to be done about these prisons.”
Peggy Close is 77 years old. Her grandson has spent nine years inside Georgia’s prisons, serving a 20-year sentence for fighting with a police officer. Nobody was seriously hurt, but because the family couldn’t afford a private lawyer, he was assigned an overworked public defender. The lawyer failed to tell the court that he was high and emotionally distraught at the time — a crucial detail that could have changed everything.
Now, he’s been transferred between four different prisons, earned certificates, attended church, and enrolled in every program he can. But his reward is violence and fear.
Peggy writes that he’s lost 20 pounds, covered in bruises, and afraid to sleep at night.
She can’t travel to visit him anymore.
“I feel so helpless… it’s stressing me so much. I’m 77 and I just want to know he’s safe.”
“It’s Cost Me Thousands” — Susan’s Story
“It has cost me thousands and thousands in commissary and other basic needs. I live far below poverty level and am on SSD… I honestly believe they want him to continue to be locked up for profit.”
Susan Stokes has lived the truth most Georgians never see: the state’s multi-million-dollar prison economy runs on the backs of the poor.
She spends about $120 a month on commissary and $50 a month on phone calls, all while surviving on disability income.
“I do without a lot, but his needs and care come first.”
Like so many families, Susan believes the system keeps people imprisoned not for public safety, but for revenue. She describes prisons where “corruption is at every corner,” and staff who “turn a blind eye to violence and even encourage it.”
Still, her faith is what keeps her going:
“By the grace of God, and many prayers, is my loved one still on earth.”
“They Use Innocent People for Income” — Isabel’s Story
Isabel has a different story — but it echoes the same theme: a system built to exploit, not rehabilitate.
“They need to correct two other things as well — having innocent people released, not held because they are using them to collect the inmates’ income.”
She says her fiancé was wrongly accused, and both of them were arrested. Isabel was later released — but only after suffering a serious injury in custody.
“I fell inside the jail and broke my left hip. Two female officers forced me to get up off the floor in pain… I will be filing a lawsuit against that jail.”
For her, reform isn’t about long-term promises or press releases — it’s about urgent action.
“I agree 100% — needs action taken ASAP. Not a week from now, not a month from now, and never years from now. I’m talking like NOW NOW!”
“We Are Being Extorted Daily” — Tonya’s Statement
“This is diabolical… the way our loved ones are treated. We are being extorted daily just to make sure they stay afloat.”
Tonya Daniel’s message is short, but it captures what nearly every Georgia prison family feels: that the system is designed to bleed them dry.
Every dollar she sends buys her loved one a few more days of safety — a few more meals, a bar of soap, a phone call home.
She’s not alone. Thousands of Georgia families are forced to choose between groceries and a call, rent and a care package, bills and basic human dignity.
“Hope Is the Real Reform” — AE Mailliez
“The promise of parole is hope. Hope of a second chance is so important to an inmate and their well-being. Georgia reform needs to include the elimination of ‘no parole’ crimes.”
AE Mailliez reminds us that even inside the darkest cells, hope is currency.
When people are sentenced to die in prison — regardless of who they’ve become or what they’ve done to change — the system kills that hope.
Real reform must restore parole and opportunity, because a system without mercy cannot produce rehabilitation.
The Bigger Picture
Behind every prison sentence is a family that pays twice — once through separation, and again through survival.
They pay the phone bills, the commissary markups, the deposit fees, and the emotional cost of a system that profits from their pain. Georgia’s prisons are overcrowded, understaffed, and increasingly dangerous. But the people most affected aren’t the policymakers — they’re mothers, grandmothers, children, and the elderly struggling to stay connected to someone they love.
These are not isolated stories. They’re the human face of a system that has forgotten its humanity.
What We’re Demanding
- Cap commissary prices and eliminate hidden deposit fees.
- Guarantee free communication minutes for families below the poverty line.
- End “no parole” sentences and restore hope through meaningful second chances.
- Ensure real oversight and accountability for violence and corruption inside Georgia’s prisons.
Take Action: Turn Outrage into Impact
Families shouldn’t have to go broke to stay connected to their loved ones. Every overpriced phone call and every inflated commissary purchase fuels a system built on profit, not rehabilitation.
Here’s how you can help right now:
- Contact Your Legislators
Use ImpactJustice.ai to send a pre-drafted email directly to Georgia lawmakers. With one click, you can demand:- Price caps on commissary and phone costs
- Oversight and transparency from the Georgia Department of Corrections
- Parole reform and second chances for those who’ve earned them
- Share This Story
Post this article on social media to expose how Georgia’s prisons exploit families. Use your voice to amplify theirs. - Join the Movement
Get involved with Georgia Prisoners’ Speak — where families, advocates, and survivors are building a path toward justice, transparency, and change.
Change begins when silence ends. Every letter, every share, every story matters.
Further Reading from Georgia Prisoners’ Speak
Explore more stories exposing how Georgia’s prison system profits from pain and punishes poverty:
- Georgia’s Prison Commissary Extortion: Convenience Store Rejects Sold at Premium Prices for $47 Million
How outdated products and inflated markups create a $47 million cash flow built on desperation. - Families Pay 6% of Their Income for Incarcerated Loved Ones
Real stories of mothers and grandparents struggling to keep loved ones fed and connected. - A Simple Message for the GDC
Practical, humane reforms that could reduce violence and restore dignity inside Georgia’s prisons. - Fixing Georgia’s Parole System: The Ultimate Plan for Justice
A blueprint for restoring hope through second chances and ending “no parole” sentences. - The Felon Train: How Georgia Turns Citizens into Convicts
How poverty, addiction, and profit-driven policies feed the cycle of incarceration. - Lethal Negligence: The Hidden Death Toll in Georgia’s Prisons
An investigation into the deadly consequences of systemic neglect and cover-ups.
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