The ACLU of Georgia is on the front line of the fight to protect the constitutional rights of all Georgians, including those in prisons and jails.  Last week Georgia's state prison system made national headlines with news of a prison strike.  What has been described by the Georgia Department of Corrections as a refusal of a small number of inmates to work has also been better described by inmates, advocates, community organizers, and the New York Times as a peaceful protest by thousands of inmates demanding basic human rights.  Thousands of prisoners in Georgia demanded an end to cruel and unusual punishment, better educational opportunities, access to health care, nutritional meals, and fair parole decisions.  It is clear our criminal justice system is not doing a good job of keeping communities safe and treating people fairly as evidence by the prisoners' protest and the thousands of letters we receive each year asking for help.  This is a wake-up call about the crisis in Georgia's criminal justice system and an opportunity for the ACLU of Georgia to use our unique brand of advocacy, litigation, and public education to bring about change. 

We have answered this call.  

On Friday, December 17, along with our coalition partners, we met with Georgia Department of Corrections officials to request permission for a fact-finding team to investigate the reasons for the strike and the Department of Corrections' response.  That request was granted.  Yesterday, a delegation of 7 individuals, including our Legal Director Chara Fisher Jackson, spent the day at Macon State Prison touring the facility and talking with inmates.  Our visit affirmed what we know is needed--statewide strategic solutions to mass-incarceration that balance the need for public safety with the constitutional rights of prisoners in a way that is cost-effective and evidence-based rather than fear-based.  Georgia should consider innovative and fiscally responsible solutions like providing and funding more alternatives to incarceration, strengthening transition and re-entry programs and creating an independent commission to evaluate Georgia's criminal justice system and propose reforms. 

This is just the first step.

The ACLU of Georgia will continue to be a part of coalition efforts to protect prisoners' rights, advocate for policy and legislative reforms in the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly.  

Know the facts.

The Georgia Department of Corrections is responsible for approximately 60,000 Georgians and has a budget of over $1 billion. 

Tough on Crime and the Budget: The Balancing Act of Public Safety and Skyrocketing Prison Costs.

 Pictured below is the fact-finding delegation who visited Macon state Prison yesterday.  Our coalition partners include in the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, the NAACP national office, the Concerned Coalition to Protect Prisoners' Rights, United States Human Rights Network, the Nation of Islam and the Ordinary People's Society.