# 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 pop… **Published**: 2025-12-27 **Source**: https://gps.press/tip-briefs/georgia-prison-staffing-hits-15-year-low-despite-600-million-investment/ **Author**: Admin --- **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 #### Dooly State Prison | Metric | Value | | --- | --- | | Close Security Inmates | 455 | | Percentage Close Security | 28.6% | | Classification | Medium Security (misclassified) | ### 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](http://Available%20via%20Georgia.gov) — Independent investigation commissioned by Governor Kemp documenting staffing crisis and constitutional violations - [DOJ Findings Letter October 2024](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1374141/dl) — Federal investigation findings on constitutional violations in Georgia prisons - [Georgia Data Analytics Center Payroll Dashboard](http://gdac.georgia.gov) — Historical staffing data showing 15-year low in correctional officers - [GPS GDC Statistics Page](https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/) — Republished GDC data showing current and historical prison population data - [GPB News - Too few guards and too many drones](http://Available%20via%20GPB%20News%20archives) — December 2, 2025 reporting on Commissioner Oliver's legislative testimony about staffing crisis