Tip briefs from our investigations, designed for journalists covering criminal justice and corrections in Georgia.
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…
Georgia operates the world's highest rate of correctional control at 881 per 100,000 residents—nearly 2.5 times the national average—while systematically extracting wealth from poor families through cash bail, fines, and…
A comprehensive analysis of nine countries reveals that childhood lead exposure from leaded gasoline drove the violent crime surge of the 1970s-1990s, explaining 30% of the U.S. crime decline. While…
A GPS investigation reveals the U.S. government knowingly allowed corporations to pump 8 million tons of lead into the environment for 70 years, causing permanent brain damage in children that…
Georgia spent $40 billion on Truth in Sentencing laws that peer-reviewed research proves increase prison violence 15%, reduce rehabilitation 14%, and raise recidivism 8%. The policies, enacted after receiving $82…