Based on Brennan Center for Justice Report, March 2026
For use in weekly personalized letters to Georgia General Assembly members
How to Use These Talking Points
Each talking point below is designed as a self-contained message for a weekly advocacy letter. Each one follows the same structure:
- A national fact the legislator may not know — grounded in the Brennan Center’s research
- Where Georgia stands — the specific gap or failure
- A direct, respectful question — that asks the legislator to take a position
These can be rotated weekly through the GPS Advocacy Network’s letter system. Each one is designed to be answerable — a legislator who receives this letter should feel compelled to respond, not dismiss it.
Talking Point 1: Education
Subject line suggestion: 90% of voters support prison education. Where do you stand?
Dear [Legislator],
Did you know that 90% of Republicans and Democrats support requiring prisons to offer education programs? That’s a finding from a November 2025 national poll by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law — one of the most respected legal research institutions in the country.
College-in-prison programs have been shown to reduce recidivism by 43%. The Brennan Center estimates that providing postsecondary education to incarcerated people nationwide could save states $365 million per year. Michigan’s prison education and vocational training programs have cut their recidivism rate to the second-lowest in state history, saving the state an estimated $49,000 for every person who does not return.
Georgia is one of only two states in America that the Brennan Center specifically named for blocking incarcerated students from accessing state financial aid. The other is Pennsylvania — which is now expanding its own reform programs.
Georgia releases 14,000 to 16,000 people from its prisons every year. By 2031, nearly 75% of jobs will require some postsecondary education. What is your plan to ensure these Georgians can contribute to our communities and our economy when they come home?
I’d like to know: will you support funding for prison education programs in Georgia?
Respectfully,
[Name]
Talking Point 2: Violence Prevention
Subject line suggestion: A $300,000 investment ended prison violence. Georgia spent $150 million on cameras.
Dear [Legislator],
In 2022, Pennsylvania renovated a single housing unit in one of its state prisons for $300,000. The changes were simple: single-occupancy rooms, a shared kitchen, warm colors, sound-dampening materials, and staff trained to build relationships rather than enforce control. The result? Near-zero violence — while the rest of the state’s facilities experienced a 21.6% increase in violence.
A separate randomized control trial in South Carolina — the gold standard in research — found that a similar approach reduced violence by 73% and restrictive housing stays by 83%. These are not theories. They are measured, proven outcomes in Southern states.
In 2024, Georgia recorded the deadliest year in its prison history — 330 deaths, including at least 100 homicides according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia’s response has been to invest more than $150 million in surveillance cameras and monitoring technology. Cameras record violence. They do not prevent it.
More than 80% of voters across party lines believe people in prison deserve a second chance. The evidence shows that treating people with dignity doesn’t just serve justice — it saves lives. When will Georgia invest in the approaches that are actually proven to reduce violence?
Respectfully,
[Name]
Talking Point 3: Independent Oversight
Subject line suggestion: 19 states have prison oversight. Georgia has none — and 5 laws preventing it.
Dear [Legislator],
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU reports that 19 states and the District of Columbia have established independent prison oversight mechanisms — inspectors general, ombuds offices, or bipartisan legislative committees that monitor conditions inside prisons. Georgia is not among them.
In fact, Georgia has five separate state statutes that actively prevent transparency and accountability for the Department of Corrections. These laws exempt GDC records from open records requests, shield internal operations from scrutiny, and limit the ability of families, advocates, and legislators to understand what is happening inside Georgia’s prisons.
Even the federal prison system now has mandatory independent oversight. The bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act, signed in July 2024, requires regular inspections of all 122 federal prisons and created an independent ombudsman. If the federal government recognizes the need for outside eyes on its prisons, shouldn’t Georgia?
In February 2026, a federal judge stated that GDC has “little credibility” and acts “above the law.” The U.S. Department of Justice found constitutional violations including staffing failures that directly contributed to homicides. Georgia’s families deserve to know that someone is watching.
Will you support the creation of independent oversight for Georgia’s prison system?
Respectfully,
[Name]
Talking Point 4: Corrections Officer Support
Subject line suggestion: Georgia’s corrections officers deserve better. The data shows what works.
Dear [Legislator],
The Brennan Center for Justice reports that correctional officers’ suicide rate is 39% higher than all other professions combined. Nationally, 38% of corrections officers leave within their first year. State prisons lost 11% of their full-time workforce between 2020 and 2023 — and spent $2.2 billion on overtime to cover the gaps.
These are the people we ask to keep our prisons safe, and our system is failing them.
But here’s what’s remarkable: in states that have implemented reform-based approaches, staff outcomes improve dramatically. In reformed housing units across six states, 100% of corrections staff reported enjoying working with residents, 97% felt safe, and over 80% said they liked their job. In Maine, staff use-of-force incidents dropped 69% after system-wide reforms — meaning 69% fewer traumatic encounters for the officers involved.
When officers are trained as mentors rather than enforcers, when they build relationships rather than maintain surveillance, they suffer less. They stay longer. They do better work. And the people in their custody are safer too.
Georgia’s corrections officers carry the weight of a system in crisis. They deserve the training, support, and working conditions that officers in reform states receive. What is your plan to support the men and women who work in Georgia’s prisons?
Respectfully,
[Name]
Talking Point 5: Cost Savings
Subject line suggestion: Prison reform saves money. Georgia is spending more and getting worse results.
Dear [Legislator],
Georgia’s prison system has a proposed budget of $1.8 billion per year. In 2024, the state recorded the deadliest year in its prison history. Despite record spending, outcomes are getting worse, not better.
Other states are proving that reform costs less and delivers more:
- Maine’s correctional center renovation came in $7 million under budget — and recidivism dropped by nearly one-third.
- Michigan saves approximately $49,000 for every person who doesn’t return to prison — and their recidivism rate is the second-lowest in state history.
- A federal meta-analysis found that even the least effective prison programs reduce recidivism by 12 to 22%. The most effective cut it by more than 50%.
- Having a loved one incarcerated costs Georgia families approximately $4,200 per year.
Multiple correctional directors from across the country told Brennan Center researchers the same thing: the most effective reform — treating incarcerated people with basic human dignity — is essentially free. It requires adjusting training practices and policies, not building new facilities.
Georgia voters deserve to know that their tax dollars are being spent on approaches that work. When will Georgia invest in proven, cost-effective reforms instead of continuing to pay more for worse outcomes?
Respectfully,
[Name]
Talking Point 6: The Voter Mandate
Subject line suggestion: 80% of your constituents want prison reform. Do you represent them?
Dear [Legislator],
A November 2025 national poll by the Brennan Center for Justice found that more than 80% of likely voters — across all party lines — believe that people in prison deserve a second chance. More than 80% believe that rehabilitative, educational, and vocational programs can prepare people for reentry. Ninety percent of both Republicans and Democrats support requiring prisons to offer education programs.
These are not narrow margins. They are supermajorities that cross every political divide in America.
A new Brennan Center report, published in March 2026, documents what happens when states act on these beliefs. In South Carolina, a dignity-based housing program reduced violence by 73%. In Maine, system-wide reform cut recidivism by nearly one-third and reduced staff use-of-force by 69%. In Michigan, vocational training programs cut the return-to-prison rate nearly in half. In Pennsylvania, a $300,000 renovation eliminated violence in a housing unit while statewide violence hit a 30-year high.
These are not blue states implementing liberal policies. They are politically diverse states — South Carolina, North Dakota, Idaho, Colorado — following the evidence and representing what their voters want.
Georgia was singled out in the Brennan Center report for blocking prison education funding and lacking independent oversight. I believe Georgia can do better. I believe most Georgians agree.
Do you represent what 80% of voters already believe? I would welcome the chance to hear your position on prison reform.
Respectfully,
[Name]
Quick Reference: Key Statistics for Any Letter
Use these data points to strengthen any communication with legislators:
- 80%+ of voters support second chances for people in prison (Brennan Center, Nov 2025)
- 90% of Republicans AND Democrats support prison education (Brennan Center, Nov 2025)
- 73% violence reduction in Restoring Promise units (RCT, South Carolina)
- 43% lower recidivism with college-in-prison programs (national research)
- $365 million potential annual savings from prison education (national estimate)
- 69% reduction in staff use-of-force in Maine after reform
- 330 deaths in Georgia prisons in 2024 — the deadliest year in state history
- $1.8 billion — Georgia’s proposed prison budget
- $300,000 — cost of Pennsylvania renovation that eliminated violence
- 19 states + DC have prison oversight; Georgia has none
- Georgia is 1 of only 2 states named for blocking prison education funding
- 0 dollars — what Georgia pays incarcerated workers for their labor
These talking points are produced by Georgia Prisoners’ Speak based on the Brennan Center for Justice report, “Prison Reform in the United States” (March 2026), GPS Research Collection #78.
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