Georgia Prisons Force Criminality Through Zero Wages, Creating Record Violence

Georgia Department of Corrections pays prisoners nothing for labor while providing 1,200-1,400 calories daily—half what adult males need—forcing inmates to steal, join gangs, and participate in underground economies to survive. This deliberate policy created 100 homicides in 2024 (nearly triple the previous record) as desperation drives violence over food, debt, and basic necessities.

Key Facts

1. Georgia documented 100 prison homicides in 2024, nearly triple the previous year's record of 35, with the state officially reporting only 66—concealing 34 deaths
2. Georgia pays prisoners zero wages for labor while operating on a $1.5 billion annual budget, with 9,000 inmates working annually for cities and counties for free
3. Prison meals provide only 1,200-1,400 calories daily versus the 2,500-2,800 calories adult males require, forcing inmates to supplement through underground food markets
4. Commissary prices carry markups of 400-900% over wholesale costs, with ramen costing $0.90 versus $0.20 institutional cost and soap marked up 1,812%
5. DOJ found 14,000+ validated gang members controlling housing assignments and contraband distribution, with correctional officer vacancy rates reaching 60% in April 2023

Quotables

Steal from the state all you want. But steal from starving men? That's how you get fed to the floor.

The Court has long passed the point where it can assume that even sworn statements from the defendants are truthful.

What’s New

• Investigation reveals 34-homicide discrepancy between GPS documentation (100) and official GDC count (66), suggesting systematic concealment of deaths
• Documents how zero-wage policy combined with starvation-level nutrition creates forced criminality as the only survival strategy

Accountability

Commissioner Tyrone Oliver has administrative authority to establish wage schedules without legislative approval but maintains zero-wage policy despite documented violence

Reporting Leads

1. Federal Judge Marc Treadwell's contempt finding against GDC for falsified reporting and sworn statements
2. Food services director who operated catering business using diverted prison food for one year at unnamed facility
3. Specific facilities with 60% officer vacancy rates and gang-controlled housing assignments documented by DOJ

Related Assets

• DOJ Investigation Report
• GPS Commissary Investigation
• GPS Nutrition Crisis Report