(The Center Square) – Georgia’s prisons have had marked changes in 35 years, from longer prison sentences to new technology that allows contraband to be dropped from the sky into state prisons.
The Department of Corrections fielded questions from the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety about staffing and security after lawmakers added millions to the budget during the last session.
The prison population has grown from around 43,000 in 2020 to over 50,000, Commissioner Tyrone Oliver told the panel.
The number of prisoners serving lengthy sentences has increased by 5,200% over the past 35 years, according to statistics presented by Cliff Hogan, director of data management analysis for the department.
In 1990, just over 3,100 inmates were serving a life sentence, and just 43 were serving life without the possibility of parole. Today, the Corrections Department is housing 8,000 inmates serving life, and 2,200 are incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole. Almost half of Georgia’s prison population has a sentence of 20 years to life, Oliver said.
Inmates are staying in prison longer, too. In 1990, the average sentence was seven years and inmates were in for an average of 1.7 years. Today the average is 13 years and inmates are incarcerated for an average of four years.
Georgia’s prison population is projected to grow by 5,000 to more than 55,000 by 2030, Hogan said.
Lawmakers asked Oliver about staffing. The system still needs 1,000 additional officers to meet optimal staffing levels but things are improving. Pay raises approved last year have helped, Oliver said. Correctional officers were making about $28,000 in 2019 and are now making about $50,000, he said. One issue is that the number of seasoned employees at the prisons is dwindling.
“Nearly 20 years ago, more than half our COs had three plus years of experience,” Oliver said. “Now nearly two-thirds of our COs have less than three years of experience.”
Oliver said the budget for fiscal year 2026 has not been finalized but he will request a pay increase.
Prison staff are facing a new challenge with drone technology that is dropping contraband into prisons, Oliver said.
“They’re flying tools, dental saws, stuff like that to continue to have access,” Oliver said. “Once we put a chokehold on one area, they’ll find another way to get in.”
Prison officials are prohibited from interfering with drones due to federal regulations. Oliver said he thinks they are making headway in the fight against drone-dropped contraband.
“I went to the White House and met with the president’s task force and we started meeting with some key people that can make some things happened,” Oliver said.
