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

FACILITY BREAKDOWN

What GPS Documented (Original Findings)

• U.S. prison population increased by more than 500 percent from late 1970s through 2010s, even as crime rates eventually declined — Source: GPS analysis of Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoners Series
• Georgia adopted Truth in Sentencing laws in 1994-1995, including 'Seven Deadly Sins' requiring 100% sentence completion with no parole — Source: GPS analysis of Georgia Laws 1994 and constitutional amendment records
• Georgia received $82,211,036 in federal VOI/TIS prison construction funding from 1996-2001 for adopting Truth in Sentencing — Source: GPS analysis of federal VOI/TIS grant records
• CIA Inspector General investigations confirmed key elements of Gary Webb's reporting about Contra-linked cocaine trafficking — Source: GPS analysis of CIA Office of Inspector General Report 1998

Data source: GPS analysis of federal records, Georgia legislation, and historical documents

What DOJ Already Confirmed

• Constitutional violations in Georgia prisons including record deaths, understaffing, and violence — Pages Throughout report

Source: DOJ Investigation of Georgia Prisons 2024
https://www.justice.gov/

RECORDS JOURNALISTS SHOULD REQUEST

Georgia Open Records Act:

1. "Legislative records for Sentence Reform Act of 1994"
   Committee hearings, floor debates, voting records for Georgia's Truth in Sentencing adoption
   Agency: Georgia General Assembly
   Date range: 1993-1995
   Expected response: 5-10 business days; minimal fees for legislative records
2. "Records of federal VOI/TIS grant applications and awards"
   Georgia's applications for and receipt of federal prison construction funding
   Agency: Georgia Department of Corrections
   Date range: 1994-2002
   Expected response: 3-5 business days; fee quote likely

Federal FOIA:

1. "VOI/TIS Incentive Grant Program records for Georgia"
   Agency: DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance
2. "CIA Inspector General reports on Contra-drug connections"
   Agency: Central Intelligence Agency

SOURCES AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Experts:

• Michelle Alexander, Union Theological Seminary, former ACLU — Author of 'The New Jim Crow,' expert on War on Drugs as racial control system
• Marc Mauer, Former Executive Director, The Sentencing Project — Sentencing policy, racial disparity in criminal justice, author of 'Race to Incarcerate'
• Bruce Western, Harvard University — Co-author of National Research Council report on mass incarceration, social consequences

OFFICIALS WHO SHOULD BE ASKED FOR COMMENT

* None have been asked for on-record comment by major media outlets.

QUESTIONS GDC HAS NOT ANSWERED

1. How does Georgia justify maintaining Truth in Sentencing laws despite evidence of failure?
2. Why have parole grant rates collapsed to historic lows?
3. How does Georgia address spending billions on incarceration while crime declined?

GPS submitted these questions via unknown on unknown . Status: No response documented

STORY ANGLES

Local:

How federal War on Drugs policies shaped current conditions in specific Georgia counties and facilities

Policy:

Georgia received $82 million in federal incentives to adopt harsh sentencing—what were the results vs. costs?

Accountability:

Officials who implemented Truth in Sentencing knew the consequences—why do they persist despite DOJ findings?

Data:

Compare Georgia's incarceration timeline to crime rates and federal funding to show policy drove prison growth, not crime

QUOTABLES

"We hated the Vietnam War. We couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities."

— John Ehrlichman, Nixon's domestic policy chief

"Here's the bottom line: We are going to end parole for violent criminals and make them serve the full sentences they receive. No parole. No loopholes. No exceptions."

— Former Governor Zell Miller

"Mass incarceration was not a response to crime—it was a political project."

— GPS analysis

SOURCE DOCUMENTS

• GPS GDC Statistics Database (Database)
  https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/
• GPS GDC Mortality Statistics Database (Database)
  https://gps.press/gdc-mortality-statistics/
• GPS Facilities Directory (Database)
  https://gps.press/facilities-directory/
• Sentence Reform Act of 1994 (PDF)
  http://Georgia%20Laws%201994,%20p.%201959
• CIA Inspector General Report 1998 (PDF)
  https://www.cia.gov/readingroom

GPS Full Investigation:
https://gps.press/mass-incarceration-was-not-an-accident/