Reforms to law enforcement and sentencing of drug and property crimes have transformed criminal justice policies around the country; researchers note, however, that this still has not changed Georgia’s incarceration demographic.
Over the past four decades, mass incarceration has disproportionately affected people of color.
Since 2009, there has been a 25% decline in the total prison population, according to a new study by The Sentencing Project titled “One In Five: Ending Racial Equality in Incarceration.”
And while the study shows lower rates of African Americans incarcerated nationwide, Georgia itself lags behind in progression.
“Georgia’s only made a 17% reduction in its prison population since 2009,” says Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Co-Director of Research at The Sentencing Project.
