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Georgia has an incarceration rate of 881 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Georgia and why.

95,000 people from Georgia are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Georgia is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 236,000 different people are booked into local jails in Georgia.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Georgia graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Georgia’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

Georgia's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Georgia's criminal legal system:

Filter to show Most recent All Big picture Collateral consequences Communication Exploitation Health Jails & bail Parole and probation Policing Poverty Prison gerrymandering Racial justice Women, gender, & families

• People on probation in Georgia are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Georgia have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
• With an incarceration rate of 881 per 100,000 residents, Georgia locks up a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.
• After the Dobbs’ decision, striking down Roe v. Wade, Georgia severely restricted abortion, putting access to the service effectively out of reach for the 82,206 women on probation or parole in the state who also face travel restrictions.
• Fulton County should reconsider its proposal to build a massive new jail.
• Prisons in Georgia force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 59% of people in Georgia jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
• Georgia releases roughly 465,631 men and 128,580 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• In Georgia prisons, breaking any rule can come with monetary fines that put incarcerated people in debt to the state
• Georgia allows parole officers to restrict whom their clients can be around — even loved ones who are trying to help them
• The parole board in Georgia is releasing 34% fewer people and holding 44% fewer hearings since the pandemic started
• Black people in Georgia are incarcerated at a rate 2.7 times higher than white people.
• Georgia's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 13% of people in Georgia prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Georgia is one of four states that provides privacy protections for incarcerated people communicating with members of the press.
• 1 in 8 Atlanta city jail bookings involve a person experiencing homelessness.
• Georgia has one of nation’s highest rates of HIV in prison and legally criminalizes people with HIV.
• In Georgia, 95,000 people are incarcerated and another 356,000 are on probation or parole.
• Georgia charges up to 30¢ for an e-message to or from prison; above the national average.
• Jails in Georgia charge up to $4.65 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge $2.10 for a 15-minute phone call.
• Most people in Georgia jails are eligible to vote, but are disenfranchised by a series of barriers
• Bail companies in Georgia have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
• Across Georgia's youth carceral facilities, 90% of entry-level officers left their jobs within the first year in FY2021
• Georgia is suspended its $5 medical copays in prisons at the beginning of the pandemic, it should eliminate them completely.
• The poorest people in Georgia prisons get some items for free — but they have to pay the state back.
• Georgia prisons charge families up to a 18% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Georgia a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• Georgia hurts jury diversity by excluding people with felony records
• How many COVID-19 cases in Georgia communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• Cruel and unusual punishment: When Georgia prisons don't provide air conditioning
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Georgia gets an F
• Georgia incarcerates women at a rate of 181 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Georgia prisons earn nothing for their work.
• "What about prisons?": A handy video explainer on redistricting in Georgia
• Census Data May Be a Big Concern for Georgia County Commissioners

Other resources

• Research on Georgia in our Research Library