Tip briefs from our investigations, designed for journalists covering criminal justice and corrections in Georgia.
Mass incarceration emerged from documented federal policy decisions during the War on Drugs era, including tolerance of CIA-linked drug trafficking abroad while criminalizing affected communities at home. Georgia's adoption of…
Georgia's prison homicides are outpacing last year's totals, with June 2025 being the deadliest month so far—a predictable outcome of policies the Georgia Department of Corrections refuses to change despite…
Sheqweetta Vaughan's death at Lee Arrendale State Prison represents another preventable tragedy in Georgia's failing correctional system. Her case underscores how the state's prisons systematically fail incarcerated women, particularly those…
Federal courts established that 'persons are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment,' meaning anything beyond loss of liberty becomes illegal extra punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Georgia's systematic…
GPS analysis of GDC population data reveals four medium security prisons have been quietly transformed into de facto close security facilities, housing 455-545 close security inmates each. This classification mismatch…
Georgia's harsh sentencing structure — including the 85 percent rule — didn't deter crime but instead pushed the prison system toward collapse, creating record levels of violence and soaring costs.…
Georgia prisoners are receiving as few as 1,200 calories daily—half the USDA minimum—while private food contractors pocket bonuses for serving smaller portions, according to a new investigation. The systematic starvation…
Georgia is building a $24 million 'hardened' 126-bed unit at Hays State Prison as part of a $600 million construction surge, despite a DOJ finding that the state's prisons violate…
California's rehabilitation-focused 'Prisneyland' model recorded one death and two use-of-force incidents at Valley State Prison, while Georgia's punishment-first system saw 333 deaths in 2024 alone, including over 100 homicides. The…
Georgia's Department of Corrections operates a two-tier markup scheme that extracts $47 million annually from families of 53,500 inmates, charging up to 1,800% above wholesale prices for basic necessities. When…