The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE WORST-STAFFED PRISONS IN THE STATE
These 12 prisons have the most vacancies for correctional officers.
The security staff is spread thin at most state prisons in Georgia, even those housing the state’s most dangerous prisoners. Here are staffing figures and inmate populations taken from Georgia Department of Corrections reports in August.
Pulaski State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,145
Living areas: Four buildings with 48 double rooms to house up to 96 per building; two buildings with double and triple rooms to house up to 120 per building; one building has single and double rooms and houses up to 106 offenders; eight of those rooms are handicap-accessible rooms. One building houses up to 30 isolation/segregation cells for up to 43 offenders, along with an intake unit, which houses 58. Two buildings consisting of 96 double- bunked rooms to house up to 192 per building.
Correctional officer vacancy rate: 79.26%
Officers employed: 28 Vacant positions: 107
Coastal State Prison
Security level: Medium
Inmates: 1,559
Living areas: Twelve housing units. Six of them have 36 cells each; the cells are divided into 12 two-man cells and 24 four-man cells. Each of the six units has 120 beds. There are also four units with open-bay dorms totaling 846 beds. There is one unit with 184 beds housing faith and character inmates and incentives inmates; one segregation unit with 74 beds; and an infirmary with 12 beds.
Correctional officer vacancy rate 75.28%
Officers employed: 45 Vacant positions: 137
Valdosta State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,063
Living areas: Ten general population units with 500 beds; six mental health units with 264 beds, 25 isolation beds and 12 acute care beds, plus four crisis stabilization beds. The annex has 554 general population beds. Of those, 100 are designated as residential substance abuse center beds.
Correctional officer vacancy rate 75.11%
Officers employed: 56 Vacant positions: 169
Hancock State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,190
Living areas: Nine general population dorms housing 96 each; two segregation units with a combined total of 133 beds; one open-bay tent housing unit for 70 inmates; annex with four open-bay dorms with 50 inmates each.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
74.35%
Officers employed: 49 Vacant positions: 142
Baldwin State Prison
Security level: Special mission
Inmates: 563
Living areas: Seven housing units of 754 general population beds. Housing also includes acute care, crisis stabilization, infirmary and segregation. Baldwin offers mental health Level III services.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
73.06%
Officers employed: 52 Vacant positions: 141
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 2,777
Living areas: Eight cellblocks containing both double-bunked and single-bunked cells. Seven dormitories, 256 general population inmates, medical unit, 17-bed Segregated Transition Education Unit. Prison houses offenders on death row as well as a special management unit with 192 beds.
Correctional officer vacancy rate:
72.96%
Officers employed: 63 Vacant positions: 170
Telfair State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,425
Living areas: Eight housing units; five with double-bunk cells; two open dormitories; isolation/segregation unit with 40 single-bunked cells and 40 double-bunked cells.
Correctional officer vacancy rate:
72.96%
Officers employed: 43 Vacant positions: 116
Smith State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,396
Living areas: Sixteen general population housing units and one segregation/isolation building. Of the 16 units, 11 have 48 cells. Four of the 16 units are open dorms, each with 32 beds.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
72.84%
Officers employed: 44 Vacant positions: 118
Calhoun State Prison
Security level: Medium
Inmates: 1,645
Living areas: Nine housing units with 24 triple-bunked cells and 24 double-bunked cells each; eight open dormitories with 480 beds; and 95 segregation/isolation cells.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
69.67%
Officers employed: 37 Vacant positions: 85
Wilcox State Prison
Security level: Medium
Inmates: 1,846
Living areas: Four and one-half buildings, each with 120 per dorm in 24 double-bunked and 24 triple-bunked cells. Three housing units consist of four open dormitories, two housing about 48 per dorm and the other housing about 94 per dorm. There are 22 isolation cells and 24 double-bunked segregation cells.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
69.17%
Officers employed: 37 Vacant positions: 83
Ware State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,441
Living areas: Eight housing units with 50 double cells each. Infirmary has 12 beds. Segregation has 150 beds. A fast-track unit has four dorms with 54 beds each. Old Ware consists of 112 beds and I building consists of four dorms for a total of 256 beds.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
68.62%
Officers employed: 75 Vacant positions: 164
Hays State Prison
Security level: High
Inmates: 1,097
Living areas: Seven general population dorms, 64 beds per dorm. One fast-track building to house 256. Six Tier II dorms with 218 beds and three Tier I dorms with 160 beds. The outside fire station has 10 beds and the infirmary has nine. The prison also houses about 750 Level II mental health offenders.
Correctional officer vacancy rate
67.42%
Officers employed: 58 Vacant positions: 120
Carrie Teegardin and Danny Robbins, AJC