The Georgia Senate’s Supporting Safety and Welfare of All Individuals in Department of Corrections Facilities Study Committee recently released their final report after conducting five meetings and producing a host of findings and recommendations for lawmakers to consider in the 2025 legislative session.
The Study Committee was tasked with “reviewing the conditions, needs, and issues related to the safety and welfare of Georgia Department of Corrections and those in its custody and making recommendations regarding potential changes to ensure the secure and safe operation of its facilities.” Members of the committee included Senators Randy Robertson, Brandon Beach, Timothy Bearden, Kim Jackson, Tonya Anderson, Steve Gooch, and John Albers.
In a 23-page report, the committee summarized presentations from GDC officials and private prison leaders from CoreCivic and the GEO Group as well as reform advocates and a few members of the public. The committe largely focused on employee working conditions, mental health, and the condition of the buildings themselves. (Note: the report has a number of grammatical errors and typos and some points are difficult to discern)
Highlights from the Report
Commissioner Tyrone Oliver told the committee:
- As of August 2024, GDC housed approximately 49,000 inmates, which is near the pre-pandemic levels, with the average inmate having a sentence of “at least 10 years.”
- The violent offender population has increased 12% since 2012 when criminal justice reforms were instituted.
- 31% of the prison population is labeled a validated Security Threat Group (STG), meaning they have a gang affiliation.
- There are 7 ‘close security’ (highest level) prisons in the state and all are 30+ years old. The average lifespan of a prison before needing upgrades is 15-20 years.
- Assistant Commissioner Sauls told the committee that there are dentists in almost every prison as part of a healthcare contract.
- When comparing the state’s smaller and larger facilities and the correlated success of programs, the Commissioner highlighted that smaller size results in greater control. But, those small facilities also have the most successful inmates. When, Oliver also stated that the state should limit future correctional facilities to a maximum capacity of 1,500 inmates.
- Oliver said Smith State Prison saw reduced violence when they reduced the population and moved to single-man cells.
Private Prison facility notes in the report:
Georgia has four private prison facilities, which are operated by Core Civic and GEO Group. At these facilities, there is an on-site monitor from GDC who ‘ensures continuous adherence to policy and procedure.’
CoreCivic has had a contract with GDC since 1998, previously under the name Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). A part of CoreCivic’s business model is building facilities that it eventually sells to the state as it did with the McRae facility in Helena, GA in 2022.
The GEO Group has two facilities in Georgia under GDC in addition to two ICE facilities for the US government and one for the US Marshal Service. They employ 800 people in Georgia. Their operations costs have increase40% in the last five years.
GDC Funding & Budgeting
- GDC is experiencing savings at the seven facilities where it has privatized food services
- GDC is saving on recruitment, the agency’s top priority, by closing recruitment centers and recruiting people online
- Over 50% of the agency’s pharmacy budget goes toward a Hepatitis and HIV treatment drugs which typically begun after a person receives their diagnostic medical exams.
- Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are suspended for inmates, however, some inmates are eligible for a Medicaid waiver where overnight hospitalization is necessary
- GDC pays for all inmate healthcare services while they are in the agency’s custody aside from co pays related to pharmaceuticals. The co-pay will be accounted for in inmate records, but ability to pay for it does not prevent an inmate from receiving pharmacy care. Once an inmate enters a transition center and gains related employment, they begin being charged for healthcare.
- GDC has about 150 contracts varying from pest control, to vending machines, to laundry.
GDC Employees
- The cost of hiring and training personnel which is about $3,000 per cadet not including salaries.
- The average salary for new corrections officers is $44,000 statewide with enhancements depending on the location a person works at and their certifications.
- For example, Close Security/Special Mission (CSM) officers receive a higher average amount due to the higher security nature of the facilities where they work.
- Oliver attributes the high vacancy rates for staff to Covid-19.
- GDC had about 1,700 open positions pre-Covid and about 3,500 openings during the vacancy
- peak.
- Currently, GDC has 2,600 open positions with a 10,919 total employee capacity, 7,587 of which are security officers.
- Anyone with a questionable background check is assigned to a special agent for further investigation, so applicants are removed if necessary for appropriate reasons.
- Applicants undergo background checks that include social media checks; GDC also uses “Integrity Tests” which is a computer test used in addition to the other criteria in determining if a person is eligible for hiring.
- Even after hiring any individual, the Department continuously checks on its employees to ensure ongoing integrity of employees to the best of its abilities. Each time a person is promoted, they must resubmit to the background checks and take necessary assessments provided by the Carl Vinson institute.
- When asked if this is adequate enough training, the Commissioner stated they are reviewing it for opportunities to improve it.
Contraband
- GDC made 800 arrests during fiscal years 2023 and 2024 for the smuggling on contraband into GDC facilities.
- 37,000 devices have been confiscated from inside the prisons since 2022 with an average of 1,300 being found monthly.
- Oliver told the committee that staff attempting to bring contraband into a facility ‘can’ result in an immediate dismissal, but said more contraband is introduced by visitors than staff
- To address this, the Department has attempted visitation by electronic means; however, this technology presents the challenge of being hacked that may further criminal enterprises.
Findings & Recommendations
The Committee made the following recommendations:
- Increasing mental health services available to incarcerated population and staff; increase availability
of counselors and mental health care for officers, staff, and the incarcerated through the RFP process. - Investing in correctional officer recruitment and retention.
- Asking Georgia Department of Audits to review all contract renewals for the past five years to see if
there is a pattern of runaway costs by any vendors. - Implementing a pay study for all Georgia Department of Corrections employees.
- Convert all existing facilities and construct all new facilities to single person, single cell facilities.
- Advocating the federal government to allow state prisons to use cell phone and drone jamming
technology. - Leveraging public-private partnerships to expand the capacity of the Georgia Department of
Corrections. - Prioritizing the hardening of existing corrections facilities to ensure their longevity while ensuring
upcoming facilities are built to modern standards of security. - Ensuring wardens adhere to consistent policies across facilities to prevent cultural differences within corrections facilities.
No other information was provided.
