Georgia Prison Staffing Hits 15-Year Low Despite $600 Million Investment

Despite investing over $600 million in corrections and commissioning reports documenting catastrophic failures, Georgia's correctional officer staffing has fallen to a 15-year low while the prison population reaches a 15-year high.

Governor Brian Kemp commissioned independent investigations that found Georgia's prisons operating at less than 50% staffing with constitutional violations, then invested over $600 million across two fiscal years. One year later, correctional officer staffing has fallen to a 15-year low while the prison population has risen to a 15-year high, with over 50,600 people now incarcerated by the state.

Facility Breakdown

What GPS Documented (Original Findings)

• GDC stopped reporting causes of death in March 2024 (GPS analysis of GDC mortality reports)
• Dooly State Prison houses 455 close security inmates (28.6% of population) despite being classified as medium security (GPS open records requests)
• Georgia invested over $600 million into GDC across two fiscal years (GPS analysis of state budget documents)
• Georgia is spending $1.6 billion on new prison construction (GPS analysis of state construction contracts)
• Darrow Brown, 58, was stabbed to death on November 7, 2025, at Dooly State Prison after accidentally bumping into another inmate (GPS reporting)

Data source: GPS analysis of GDC Monthly Reports, open records requests, and state budget documents

What DOJ Already Confirmed

• Constitutional violations among the most severe ever found nationwide (Pages DOJ Findings Letter)
• Systemic failures to protect incarcerated people from violence and sexual abuse (Pages DOJ Findings Letter)
• In June 2024 alone, GDC reported only six homicides while at least 18 people had been murdered (Pages DOJ Findings Letter)

What GDC Concealed

• Stopped reporting causes of death in March 2024, obscuring violence data
• Housing close security inmates in medium security facilities without public disclosure
• Actual homicide numbers significantly higher than reported to public

Quotables

“The current staffing levels make it impossible to adhere to policies on fundamental correctional techniques”

— Guidehouse Consulting Report

“Through 2030, that projection is showing an increase up to over 55,000 offenders”

— Cliff Hogan, GDC Director of Data and Research

“Over 50,000 people are incarcerated by the state. That's a 15-year high”

— Commissioner Tyrone Oliver

Story Angles

• Local: Focus on specific facilities in reporter's coverage area – request classification data for local prisons to see if they're housing inappropriate security levels
• Policy: $600 million investment with worsening outcomes – examine budget allocations vs. actual staffing improvements and question effectiveness of spending strategy
• Accountability: Governor commissioned reports documenting crisis, invested hundreds of millions, yet conditions worsened – track specific officials' responses to documented failures
• Data: Request GDAC payroll data and GDC population reports to independently verify 15-year trends and analyze spending per officer/per inmate ratios

Records Journalists Should Request

Georgia Open Records Act:

1. Incident Report – Darrow Brown Death, November 7, 2025 — Georgia Department of Corrections
2. Population Classification Reports by Facility — Georgia Department of Corrections
3. GDC Budget Appropriations and Expenditures — Georgia Department of Administrative Services

Federal FOIA:

1. DOJ Civil Rights Division Investigation Files – Georgia Prisons — DOJ Civil Rights Division

Sources Available for Interview

Families:

• Family of Darrow Brown

Incarcerated Witnesses:

• Incarcerated witnesses to systemic understaffing and violence

Experts:

• Available upon request — Prison reform organizations

Officials Who Should Be Asked for Comment

• Brian Kemp, Governor — Commissioned Guidehouse investigation and approved $600 million investment
• Tyrone Oliver, Commissioner — Current head of agency responsible for implementing reforms
• Cliff Hogan, Director of Data and Research — Provided population projections to lawmakers showing continued increases

Questions GDC Has Not Answered

1. Why did GDC stop reporting causes of death in March 2024?
2. How does GDC justify housing 28.6% close security inmates in medium security facilities?
3. What specific steps has GDC taken to address the Guidehouse recommendations?
4. Why has correctional officer staffing continued to decline despite $600 million investment?

Source Documents

• Guidehouse Consulting Report December 2024 — Independent investigation commissioned by Governor Kemp documenting staffing crisis and constitutional violations
• DOJ Findings Letter October 2024 — Federal investigation findings on constitutional violations in Georgia prisons
• Georgia Data Analytics Center Payroll Dashboard — Historical staffing data showing 15-year low in correctional officers
• GPS GDC Statistics Page — Republished GDC data showing current and historical prison population data
• GPB News – Too few guards and too many drones — December 2, 2025 reporting on Commissioner Oliver's legislative testimony about staffing crisis