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Gang violence has pushed the Georgia Department of Corrections to put eight of its state prisons on lockdown.
Rising tensions between gangs have prompted fights, the department says. Last month, an inmate was killed.
Under such circumstances, lockdowns are a common tool, says Richard Lichton, a national expert on police practices.
“It gives the prison officials the chance to look to see who the gang leaders are,” Lichton said, “and perhaps transfer them to other jails or lock them down in what’s called administrative segregation.”
The prisons are located throughout the state, from Macon to Valdosta. Their inmates aren’t allowed any visitors until the lockdowns are lifted.
In 2014, Southern Center for Human Rights called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate violent acts in Georgia prisons.
“There’s a very high rate of violence within the Georgia prison system,” said Sarah Geraghty, an attorney for the center. “Gangs are a problem. And the prevailing wisdom is that gangs fill a security vacuum.”
The corrections department says the lockdowns ensure the safety of inmates and staff.
The department, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, completed an investigation into last month’s homicide, which was at Calhoun State Prison. Three gang members and a correctional officer now face murder charges.
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