Editor’s note: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not identifying the inmate who wrote this essay for his safety.
As an educated inmate with more than 15 years of experience in the Georgia prison system, I believe I can offer valuable insights to the Georgia State Senate’s study committee on current prison issues.
The root causes of problems such as violence and recidivism in the justice system stem from unreasonable sentencing that prioritizes retribution with little thought for redemption. Statistics show Georgia incarcerates almost twice as many people per capita as California, but yet essentially has the same crime rate. Though punishment is undoubtedly necessary for crimes, it should be reasonable, cost effective and benefit society. The current system is none of these things. Instead, we have mass incarceration in a violent environment, high recidivism rates and wasted money on approaches that are proved ineffective.
The main issue I see every day is that Georgia Department of Corrections employees lack the most effective tool to solve these problems and encourage rehabilitation in a meaningful way. The biggest problem is that there is only punishment without significant incentives to encourage inmates to change their behavior. As a result, most don’t. People need a carrot along with a stick. It’s basic human nature that Georgia mostly ignores. This creates bitter people with nothing left to lose. Not all, but many, of these people return to society angry, unchanged and commit more crimes.
Long-term inmates such as me, who have maintained perfect behavior, taken classes and mentored/taught others, receive no sentence reductions for our efforts. Not one day. Extremely long sentences and denied parole are the norm. For those with life sentences who are eligible for parole, the average time to parole has increased from about 18 years to more than 30 years despite no change in the actual sentence. This approach is ineffective and expensive. It breeds anger among inmates and drives little change in behavior. The system ignores approaches that have been proven to be much more effective. It is an emotional approach of “tough on crime” rather than an empirical approach of “smart on crime.” It does a disservice to Georgians.
When I ask young inmates about behavioral change, they often respond, “Why should I?” Without incentives, they see no reason to change. Implementing incentives that can reduce sentences based on good behavior, work and program completion would change future behavior and allow the state to focus resources on high-risk inmates who refuse to change.
Unfortunately, the existing incentive programs are inadequate. The Performance Incentive Credits Program, which allows some offenders to minimally reduce their sentences, is limited in scope and application. It doesn’t apply to most long sentences, where incentives are needed most and it’s not even guaranteed.
I propose creating a law to authorize “The Future Crime Prevention Incentive Program.” This program would offer sentence credits for inmates who demonstrate good behavior, positive change and respect for authority. It would be retroactive for at least 10 years to reward good behavior and make an immediate impact on the system. The program would apply to all inmates except those serving life without parole or on death row.
These types of clearly defined and guaranteed credits have been proven effective in other states, including Texas, California and many Southern states. They reduce recidivism by releasing inmates. Importantly, they save money through an intelligently reduced prison population. The saved funds could be redirected to inmates needing special attention and/or to increase officer salaries and benefits, hopefully solving the prison staffing problems.
Based on metrics from other states, Georgia could prevent tens of thousands of future crimes and save tens of millions of dollars annually. This approach would give GDC employees real tools to make prisons more effective, safer and better for society. It would allow inmates who have learned their lesson to return to their families sooner, pay taxes and provide for their children instead of continuing to burden taxpayers.
This proposal is not a soft-on-crime policy. It is a smart-on-crime policy. Georgia sentences would still be strong and substantial, ensuring offenders pay their fair price to society and victims. However, it would allow for redemption for those who have made mistakes, served reasonable sentences and want to do the right thing.
By implementing such a program, prisons would be better staffed, safer and more effective. GDC employees, who interact with inmates daily, would be responsible for implementing these incentives. This approach balances punishment with the opportunity for rehabilitation, potentially leading to reduced recidivism and a more efficient prison system.
We urge the study committee to consider these suggestions as they work to address the issues within Georgia’s prison system. By implementing meaningful incentives and focusing on rehabilitation alongside punishment, we can create a more effective and safe correctional system that benefits inmates, staff and society as a whole.
The writer is an inmate at a Georgia correctional facility.
