GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IN DEPTH

Georgia Department of Corrections in depth

Georgia Department of Corrections in depth

State prison populations rose dramatically as a result of get-tough legislation that featured mandatory sentencing, longer time served before parole eligibility, judges who used their discretion to impose long terms on non-violent offenders and politicians who won votes by vowing to get tough on crime. High profile crimes brought to the public attention by national media created strong anti-crime sentiment.

While encouraging, the 2009 year-to-year decline in state prison populations would need to continue for some years before a definite trend could be acknowledged. Crime and criminals behind bars are still a national problem. The number of state prisoners in 1972 was fewer than 175,000; today they number 1.4 million. This does not include prisoners in the federal system, or those in city and county jails.

Georgia will consider alternatives to incarceration of adult non-violent offenders in a sweeping criminal justice review announced Wednesday afternoon by Governor Nathan Deal.  Reforms could include expanded drug, DUI and mental health courts, changes to sentencing laws, and alternatives to technical parole violations.

The governor announced the review at a capitol news conference.  “Make no mistake.  While this effort should ultimately uncover strategies that will save taxpayer dollars, first and foremost we are attacking the human cost of a society with too much crime, too many people behind bars, too many children growing up without a much needed parent and too many wasted lives.”

Deal stood with an historic coalition of executive, judicial and legislative leaders that included Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein.  “Our state can no longer afford to spend more than $1 billion a year to maintain the nation's fourth highest incarceration rate,” Hunstein said.  “I am confident that with this united front that you see here today we will accomplish ...