Private Prisons In The State Of Georgia
In this article, we have explained everything you need to know about the private prisons in the state of Georgia including immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities.
The state of Georgia has the highest incarceration rate among all the democracies in the world. It locks up most inmates in its prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities.
Georgia correctional officials have custody of 54,113 convicts as of December 31, 2019, who were held in 34 state prisons as well as private prisons or municipal jails.
Besides, private prison businesses across the country have a lengthy history of major issues, including medical neglect, sexual and physical abuse of prisoners in their institutions, violent uprisings, and fatalities.
When a government privatizes a service, the declared objective is to save money while maintaining the same, if not better, quality of service. That is not the case with private correctional corporations operating in Georgia, like as CoreCivic (formerly CCA) and the GEO Group.
List Of Privately Owned Prisons In Georgia
The state of Georgia currently administers the following six private prisons:
Coffee Correctional Facility
The Coffee Correctional Facility is a medium-security correctional facility located in Nicholls, Georgia. CoreCivic manages Coffee Correctional Facility under contract with the Georgia Department of Corrections. This facility accommodates more than 2500 male adult inmates who have committed felonies and been found guilty.
Read Private Prisons In The State Of Colorado
Moreover, inmates are kept in one of five open dormitory flats or two-man cell units. An isolation and segregation facility is also provided for convicts who exhibit management issues. Some inmates need to be segregated from the main population to ensure security and safety.
The purpose of this institution is to protect public safety and efficiently house criminals while managing a safe and secure facility. Also, to provide a safe, secure, and humane environment for offenders in which rehabilitation is a primary goal.
And to foster an environment and possibilities for effective reintegration into society by employing discipline, constructive classification, education, job training, and social programs.
Offenders are encouraged to register in vocational courses such as carpentry, masonry, computers, and gardening at this institution. And they can also obtain a commercial driver's license. Academic classes include learning to read, adult basic education, and the chance for a convict to get their GED.
Jenkins Correctional Facility
The Jenkins Correctional Facility (JCF) is also a medium-security custody-level facility. It is located in Millen, Georgia, and can accommodate up to 1000+ inmates. The JCF is used by the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC).
Furthermore, Jenkins Correctional Facility offers multiple programs, services, and treatments to help inmates. The educational and vocational programs offered at this facility allow inmates to smoothly transition back into society once their sentence is completed.
The JCF was created in 2016 to address Georgie's growing need for prisons. Although it is a new facility, it has already faced a few challenges in the past few years. The growing intensity of violence and the lack of healthcare in the facility are to name a few.
However, the facility remains committed to its goal of providing a safe and secure environment for the prisoner as well as staff. In addition, they also provide some basic education and other vocational programs to help inmates re-enter society.
The Jenkins Correctional Facility is built with a modern design and the latest security system and technology, including a full perimeter fence, video surveillance cameras, and electronic detection systems.
Read How Many Prisons Are in Gatesville Tx
Riverbend Correctional Facility
The Riverbend Correctional Facility was created by GEO Group Inc. through a contact given by the Georgia Department of Corrections. The facility is located in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is a minimum and medium-level facility and can house up to 1500 inmates.
Inmate housing comprises six living units: four dormitory-style with four pods each, each seating 250 offenders; one housing unit with two dormitory-style pods and two-man cell housing pods; and one housing unit with two dormitory-style pods and two-man cell housing pods., each accommodating 250 offenders; one housing unit with four two-man cell housing pods, each housing 250 offenders; and one lockdown unit with 50 segregation beds and 25 isolation beds, each home to 250 offenders.
Furthermore, this prison accommodates male offenders who have been arrested for violations of Georgia state and federal laws. It also provides academic and vocational training to inmates. In addition to academic and vocational training, inmates get medical care, substance addiction treatment programs, and group support.
The facility includes a library, a law library, multi-purpose classrooms, vocational classrooms, office space for program staff, and a chapel. It also has three covered gymnasiums with support areas and two outdoor recreation yards with a playing field and uncovered basketball courts.
Thus, the Riverbend Correctional Facility's main objective is to provide quality programs to encourage the effective re-entry of convicts. The Facility uses the Continuum of Care concept, which focuses on rehabilitative programs, education, and job training based on current job market trends.
Wheeler Correctional Facility
Wheeler Correctional Facility was created in 1998 and is situated near Alamo, Georgia. It is a medium-security facility that holds roughly 2,874 adult males. The criminals are kept in dormitories, with eight units accommodating 80-88 prisoners each.
Meanwhile, the segregation section houses convicts in segregation and isolation in separate cells. Segregation is intended for convicts who are difficult to handle or who have safety and security concerns.
Selected offenders may work on teams that help different county departments, such as parks and recreation, recycling, sanitation, and others.
Offenders can enroll in educational programs such as adult basic education and GED classes. The Chaplain's office provides religious services, including worship and prayer services.
Individual and group counseling sessions are available, and topics range from substance misuse to family violence, as well as inmates can also take computer classes, masonry, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical systems courses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to Send a Mail to an Inmate in Georgia’s private prison?
Inmates at Georgia’s private prisons can receive letters from family and friends. And packages from home, too, with prior written permission from the inmate's unit team or an authorized staff member.
You can call the Private Prison administration to ensure that the mail and packages you are sending are on the allowed item list. Another way to contact the facility is to send an email. You can also reach out to the institution using social media sites. Visit their Facebook page.
Does GEO Group Inc. share any visiting information for their facilities?
No, GEO Group Inc. does not share visiting information for any facility. You will have to contact the facility you want to visit to know the specific visiting information. Because visit times keep changing regularly.
However, you will also require a visiting application from your inmate to get approval for visitation.