Misallocated Funding and the Crisis in Georgia’s Prison System
The Georgia prison system has a longstanding history of human rights abuses, and state legislation has been proven time and time again to be ineffective in resolving this issue. It is no secret that Georgia has a high incarceration rate. It ranked in the top ten states in incarceration rates per 100,000 residents, according to data collected in 2023. However, a lack of funding proportional to this elevated number of inmates acts as a significant barrier for the state in ensuring the safety and security of prisoners residing in state correctional facilities. This frequently manifests itself in sexual assault incidents among highly vulnerable prisoners, such as women and LGBTQ+ individuals. It is impossible to patch this issue without adequate funding provided to increase staffing and supervision for incarcerated Georgians.
A US Department of Justice investigation conducted on the Georgia Department of Corrections two years ago yielded shocking results. The investigation exposed systemic violations of the Eighth Amendment. Prisoners were assaulted and on some occasions killed without any enforcement of their safety. There were upwards of 140 reported homicides in GDC facilities between 2018 and 2023 alone. Five of these homicides occurred within a single month.
These instances of violence affect all of those who reside within correctional facilities in the state. However, there are certain populations who are far more susceptible to this violence. Individuals identifying as LGBTI often end up disproportionately victimized by gang violence because of the lack of control by those working in GDC facilities. GDC has failed to maintain control over gang activity within prisons for various reasons, ranging from malfunctioning locks on doors to use of contraband as leverage. This lack of control has allowed for this problem to persist. Additionally, many transgender women are often housed alongside men because of their biological sex characteristics, leaving them susceptible to violence.
During this investigation, Georgia ranked fourth in the country in prison population, with numbers reaching approximately 50 thousand individuals incarcerated. Because of the number of people in the Georgia prison system, human rights violations have reached a massive scale. The widespread inability of the GDC to take corrective action against this issue puts incarcerated individuals at risk.
To be clear, this issue has not gone unaddressed by the state. The GDC has a zero-tolerance policy related to issues of sexual harassment and assault of any offenders within the department’s custody. However, without proper funding to ensure sufficient supervision, these instances of sexual assault often go unseen and unreported. For the Department of Corrections to take proper punitive action against perpetrators, there has to be knowledge that such an action has taken place. There is simply not enough oversight to ensure proper enforcement.
There is follow-through on the incidents of violence that are reported. At least some of these incidents are being investigated for substantiating evidence. However, because of the deficits in staffing, it is impossible for all instances of violence to be properly investigated. Additionally, the resource deficit does not allow for the implementation of targeted measures to protect those who are most vulnerable – namely, LGBTI inmates.
Ultimately, the failure is on the part of state implementation. While the state has increased funding to the GDC as a whole, it has not targeted increasing protection for inmates. Despite an increase in GDC funding between 2022 and 2026, there has been a drastic increase in deaths within prisons. In 2025, following the funding increase, reported potential homicides skyrocketed. The likely cause of this phenomenon is not a lack of funds, given the increase over the preceding years. Rather, these funds were not used to create more job opportunities. Over the year 2023, half of all jobs in Georgia prisons were left vacant. These funds are not being utilized to aid with the staffing shortage. Whether because of insufficient pay, an undesirable working environment, or both, there are not nearly enough employees at the GDC.
To ensure constitutional conditions for Georgia inmates, funds allocated to the GDC must be used to incentivize more Georgians to take jobs in the prison system. With more workers, conditions within prisons would certainly improve. By preventing these employees from becoming incredibly taxed and overworked, any future action toward Georgia prison reform will have increased odds of success. Those most vulnerable in the GDC’s system will see a substantial decrease in human rights violations.
Responsibility for this allocation lies with the GDC’s Budget Services. Since there has been an increase in state funding for the GDC, the issue is not in how much money is being budgeted to go to the GDC. Rather, the problem lies in how the money is allocated internally. The GDC’s Budget Services must shift their priorities to increasing incentives for Georgians to fill the vacancies in prison jobs. Diverting the GDC’s funding to this path will bring the state prison system one significant step closer to making sure that inmates are protected during their incarceration.
Prarti Satya is a third-year at the University of Georgia studying political science and international affairs. She is a member of our criminal justice group.