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Going to Prison in Georgia
If you're facing a sentence involving incarceration in Georgia,
you are not alone. Georgia has over 45,207 people in its prisons. As
a percentage of its population, it has the fifth highest incarceration rate in
the nation. It is the eighth largest inmate population in the country, and
stands poised to move to sixth by overtaking Ohio and Illinois.
Truth in Sentencing Approaching
More prisoners are serving more time under legislation
requiring such service and policies of the parole board restricting parole for
certain offenses. The percentage of the court sentence being served by
prisoners is increasing. The chart to the right shows this trend as to
types of cases. (Source: Georgia Department of Corrections).
The trend as to sex and violent crimes is likely to continue to increase toward
one hundred percent based upon current policies and the percentage of inmates
subject to prior parole policies decreasing. In addition to the parole
board's activities, there is political movement to institute sentencing
guidelines which would require much more uniformity in sentencing and would
limit the discretion of judges to depart from the calculated sentence.
Such a move may bring down the sentences imposed by some courts, but it will
also bring up the sentences of other courts. Once guidelines are in place,
political pressure will be present every year thereafter to increase the
guidelines for certain types of offenses. Already, there was a proposal
this year to require a twenty year mandatory minimum incarceration sentence of
which one hundred percent would have to be served in incarceration. Such
laws take away the discretion of the courts to adjust sentences to fit the
offender and the crime and the community's needs.
Types of Prisons
The Department of Corrections has seven types of prisons from
maximum security prisons to transitional centers. A description of these
prisons appears in the following chart from the Georgia Department of
Corrections website.
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 Maximum security prisons
are the most secure and restrictive facilities for inmates who are escape
risks, have a history of violence in prison, or were convicted of heinous
crimes.
- Georgia Diagnostic
and Classification Prison
- Georgia State
Prison
- Arrendale SP,
Augusta SMP, Hays SP and Metro SP also hold some maximum-security inmates.
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Primarily county-operated
facilities, these prisons heavily emphasize work details. Over 3,700 state
inmates are incarcerated at county prisons, providing skilled labor to the
communities.
- All county
correctional institution
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The primary mission of
this level prison is secure housing for inmates with management problems in
combination with inside-the-perimeter work details and programming.
| Arrendale SP |
Macon SP |
Valdosta SP |
| Augusta SMP |
Men’s SP |
Ware SP |
| Autry SP |
Metro SP |
Washington SP |
| Coastal SP |
Phillips SP |
Wayne SP |
| Hancock SP |
Pulaski SP |
West Central SP |
| Hays SP |
Smith SP |
Wilcox SP |
| Lee SP |
Telfair SP |
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Level I
(Transitional Centers) |
Transitional centers
house work-release inmates who have regular contact with the community. In
FY99, transitional center residents paid the state $1,469,224 in room and
board while working at a job and paying taxes. An average total of 700
residents stayed at these centers at any given time in FY99.
| Albany TC |
Metro TC |
| Atlanta TC |
Savannah TC |
| Macon TC |
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Medium security inmates
perform work details and Correctional Industries operations both inside and
outside the fence. Level III prisons focus upon particular work or program
missions.
| Baldwin SP |
Dooly SP |
Rivers SP |
| Bostick SP |
Homerville SP |
Rogers SP |
| Burruss CTC |
Milan SP |
Rutledge SP |
| Calhoun SP |
Montgomery SP |
Scott SP |
| Central SP |
Putnam SP |
Walker SP |
| Dodge SP |
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Assignment to a Facility
An inmate is assigned to a particular facility based upon a
number of factors that primarily take into account the inmate's security risk.
Again, the Department of Corrections' website sets this information out
succinctly in the following chart.
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In Georgia, every inmate
is assigned to one of five levels of supervision during the diagnostic
process. During the diagnostic evaluation, the inmate’s length of sentence,
nature of crime, criminal history, sex offenses, detainers, escape history,
history of violent behavior, medical/psychiatric status and drug/alcohol use
are examined. Once evaluated, the inmate is classified to a particular
security level. Over time, the inmate may be reclassified at a lower (or
higher) security level. |
Inmates with no major
adjustment or substance abuse problems still require constant supervision
outside the perimeter fence and regular supervision inside the fence. Medium
security inmates must remain at this level for six months before being
considered for reclassification. |
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Inmates considered
assaultive or dangerous, and those who pose a high escape risk, and/or have
other serious problems are assigned to this category. Such inmates require
constant supervision by correctional officers and do not work outside the
prison security fence. Inmates under death sentence are classified as
maximum security. |
These inmates have a
pattern of abiding by prison rules and regulations. They present a minimal
risk of escape and have been judged to be a minimal threat to the community.
They are allowed to work in the community, yet are checked hourly while
inside or outside the prison’s perimeter security fence. Minimum security
inmates must remain at this level for three months prior to consideration
for reclassification. |
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Inmates assigned to this
level are escape risks and typically are rule violators. These inmates have
assaultive histories, and may have detainers for serious crimes on file.
These inmates require constant supervision by an armed correctional officer
while working outside the security fence and require regular supervision
when inside security boundaries. Inmates must remain at this level for one
year before being considered for reclassification. Medium Security |
An inmate assigned to
this category has proven to be trustworthy, has no adjustment problems, is
cooperative, and has no current alcohol or drug addiction problems. Trusty
inmates on work details require occasional |
Obviously, it is desirable to have the lowest possible security
rating. The maximum and close security classifications place an inmate
into an environment with very dangerous offenders.
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