Prisons Archives

Georgia Operates World’s Highest Incarceration Rate While Criminalizing Poverty Through Systematic Wealth Extraction

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 fees practices operating at 20 times national averages. The state cycles 236,000 different people through jails annually, with 26 localities weaponizing their criminal justice systems …

Lead Poisoning From Gasoline Caused America’s Crime Wave, Not ‘Superpredators’

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 policymakers blamed 'moral poverty' and imprisoned millions in a catastrophic misdiagnosis, the real cause was environmental poisoning that damaged developing brains. Key Facts 8 million …

Government Poisoned Generation With Lead, Then Imprisoned Victims for Brain Damage

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 manifested as crime 20 years later. Instead of acknowledging this environmental poisoning, policymakers blamed 'moral poverty' and imprisoned millions of victims through 'tough on crime' …

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 …