The Justice Department announced Tuesday its findings that conditions of confinement in Georgia’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution.
“Our findings report lays bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Adding, “Our statewide investigation exposes long-standing, systemic violations stemming from complete indifference and disregard to the safety and security of people Georgia holds in its prisons. People are assaulted stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed. Inmates are maimed and tortured, relegated to an existence of fear, filth and not so benign neglect. These dangerous conditions not only harm the people Georgia incarcerates — it places prison employees and the broader community at risk…”
The department’s 93-page report details its findings from a thorough investigation of Georgia’s state-operated and private correctional facilities, according to officials.
Georgia has the fourth-highest state prison population in the country, with approximately 50,000 people incarcerated.
The report concludes that:
- Constitutional Violations: Georgia consistently fails to protect incarcerated individuals, violating their constitutional rights by exposing them to widespread physical and sexual violence in medium- and close-security facilities.
- Vulnerable Populations: The state fails to adequately safeguard LGBTI individuals from sexual violence.
- Systemic Issues: Critical understaffing and failures in facility management, housing assignments, contraband control, and incident reporting contribute to the violence.
- Gang Control: Gangs have significant influence over prison life, controlling entire housing units and running illegal operations that endanger both inmates and the public.