Georgia Prison Had Five Officers for 69 Posts When Four Inmates were murdered

Open records reveal Washington State Prison operated with just five officers covering 69 security posts when four inmates died in January 2026’s deadliest prison violence, while officials failed to file incident reports and a coroner claims no knowledge of deaths he publicly confirmed. Shift rosters obtained through open records show Washington State Prison had only …

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Georgia Spent $700 Million More on Prisons—Deaths Tripled, Staffing Collapsed

Georgia increased its prison budget by $700 million over four years, yet homicides rose from 8-9 annually to 100 in 2024, staffing remains 50-76% vacant, and the system was declared unconstitutional by the DOJ. Between FY 2022 and FY 2026, Georgia added $700 million to its corrections budget—the fastest spending growth in agency history—yet prison …

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Georgia’s Prison Crisis Stems from Deliberate Federal War on Drugs Policies

Georgia’s current prison crisis—with record deaths and collapsed parole—directly results from deliberate federal War on Drugs policies that criminalized communities while tolerating CIA-linked drug trafficking. 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 …

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Georgia Spends $1.6 Billion on Prison Construction While Ignoring DOJ Violence Reforms

Despite federal findings that Georgia prisons violate the Constitution through 'deliberate indifference' to lethal violence, the state continues spending $1.6 billion on new construction while refusing to implement nine proven reforms that could prevent predictable homicides. Georgia's prison homicides are outpacing last year's totals, with June 2025 being the deadliest month so far—a predictable outcome …

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Georgia Mother Dies Alone in Prison Cell, Body Found Decomposing Days Later

Sheqweetta Vaughan, a 32-year-old mother battling postpartum depression, was found dead and decomposing in her cell at Lee Arrendale State Prison in July 2025, highlighting systemic neglect in Georgia's women's prison system. 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 …

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