ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – State lawmakers are looking for ways to prioritize health and safety in state-run prisons.

This comes after the US Department of Justice released an investigation that found found that the current state of Georgia’s prisons is “unconstitutional.”

The Department of Corrections Study Committee met with representatives of the Department of Corrections on Friday.

State Sen. Randy Robertson, head of the committee, told Department of Corrections officials it was the committee’s responsibility to make sure they filled in all the cracks.

Robertson made it clear they would talk about goods and services offered to inmates – from toilet paper to inmate health care.

“They should have access to all the resources that the average citizen has when it comes to sanitation, nutrition and health care,” Robertson said.

This year is on track to become one of the deadliest years in Georgia’s correctional facilities.

The Justice Department report lists 17 problem jails in a dozen counties where cases of violence, rape, drug overdoses, exploitation and gang intimidation were investigated.

AT A GLANCE

Main conclusions: Justice Department slams Georgia prison system

1. Georgia is engaging in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights of incarcerated people by failing to protect individuals from widespread physical violence and sexual abuse.
2. Critical understaffing and other systemic deficiencies contribute to widespread violence.
3. Georgia allows gangs to exert inappropriate influence over prison life, including controlling entire housing units and carrying out illegal and dangerous schemes inside and outside of prisons.
4. Read the full report

THE investigation of Georgia’s state-run prisons found that “the State of Georgia engages in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals.”

In a letter, Ossoff and Warnock urged Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver to respond to the findings.

Matthew Charles testified before the committee. He was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for non-violent drug offenses. He now works to help families whose loved ones are incarcerated in Georgia. He thinks the state should create a review board with independent oversight. An organization that is not part of the agency, but is willing to help them and get to the bottom of the causes of the problem.

“When we were at the hearing a few minutes ago, they said the medical care was not poor. But it was almost equal to what they themselves received as private citizens and no, it’s not. It’s the exact opposite of that,” Charles said.

It would cost money. Georgia’s corrections system receives $1.3 billion annually.

Robertson said the issue of crumbling infrastructure and finding ways to attract and retain correctional officers remains a priority when crafting his recommendations.

“What citizens need to understand, what taxpayers need to understand, this is a very expensive process because these individuals are housed and cared for by the state of Georgia, and every taxpayer and every non-taxpayer who lives in Georgia, they “I’m responsible for that,” Robertson said.

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