DOJ Archives

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 …

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 …

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 …

Georgia Prisons Violate Constitution Daily, Federal Courts Already Ruled

Georgia’s prison system systematically violates the Constitution by subjecting incarcerated people to violence, medical neglect, and inhumane conditions that federal courts have ruled constitute illegal extra punishment beyond lawful liberty deprivation. Federal courts established that ‘persons are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment,’ meaning anything beyond loss of liberty becomes illegal extra punishment …

Georgia Secretly Packs Close Security Inmates Into Medium Prisons, Death Rates Soar

Four Georgia medium security prisons are secretly housing 28-30% close security inmates—10 times the normal rate—creating deadly conditions that have produced 4-5 times more homicides than properly classified facilities. 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 …

Georgia’s $40 Billion Prison Experiment Failed — Violence Soared as Sentences Got Harsher

Georgia’s three-decade experiment with harsh sentencing and truth-in-sentencing laws cost taxpayers $30-40 billion while making prisons deadlier and more violent, prompting DOJ intervention and proving that deterrence-based policies fail. 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 …

Georgia Prisoners Losing 50 Pounds on $2 Daily Food Budget While Private Companies Profit

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 is fueling violence, disease, and deaths across the state's 34 prisons, costing taxpayers millions in healthcare and security expenses. Key Facts Georgia spends $1.77-$2.20 per …

Georgia Spends $24 Million on ‘Hardened’ Prison Unit While Inmates Starve

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 the Constitution through gang control and deliberate indifference. The new fortress-style approach ignores root causes like chronic understaffing and malnutrition that fuel the violence officials …

Georgia’s $40 Billion Truth in Sentencing Disaster Increases Prison Violence, Crime

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 million in federal grants, have created what the DOJ calls ‘among the most severe constitutional violations’ nationwide while making communities less safe. Key Facts Princeton …