Audit stirs debate about costs of private and state prisons in Georgia

While the growth in Georgia’s prison population has slowed after years of changes in the state’s criminal justice system, the inmate count is still expected to rise by more than 1,200 inmates in the next half-decade, according to a new state audit.

“Had we not been doing criminal justice reform, that 1,200 number would probably be 7,500 or so,” said House Appropriations Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, whose panel requested the audit.

But the report also raises a broader question about who should house those new inmates.

The audit says it costs the state more to house comparable inmates in private prisons than state facilities, which is contrary to long-held beliefs of lawmakers supportive of increased privatization of government.

Read more: https://politics.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/audit-stirs-debate-about-costs-private-and-state-prisons-georgia/wYBq2jXJxXmXLYKk5u03bL/