Georgia House Democratic Caucus Committee to hold hearing on crisis at state prisons

ATLANTA – Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus Committee on Crisis in Prisons, co-chaired by State Representatives Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) and Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta), will hold a hearing on Thursday, Sept. 23, 1 p.m., Room 132 of the State Capitol.

Due to space constraints, in-person attendance will be limited to members of the media, state officials and pre-approved witnesses. All other attendees may participate in the meeting virtually via Zoom; for Zoom access, please click here.

This GHDC committee will hear testimony about life-threatening conditions in Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) facilities. The committee has invited formerly incarcerated individuals, relatives of currently incarcerated people and legal and public health experts to share their observations of these complaints and their perspectives on potential remedies.

“During the pandemic, GDC facilities have seen record numbers of homicides, suicides and other violent events precipitated by severe understaffing,” said Reps. McLaurin and Schofield. “These problems reflect a breakdown in basic security and organizational management. We recently learned that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into prison conditions in Georgia. This is welcome news. But, regardless of this new investigation and the likelihood of federal intervention in the long term, as state leaders we have a responsibility to address this emergency immediately.”

The meeting will be available to the public via Zoom.

Registration: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71256566204