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State Reform Profile

Georgia

Georgia passed bipartisan justice reinvestment in 2011-2012, reducing costs and recidivism.

ALTREFORM COMPOSITE79/100

Key Statistics

Incarceration Rate
521
per 100,000 residents
Annual Cost
$19K
per incarcerated person
3-Year Recidivism
69%
reincarcerated within 3 yrs
Racial Disparity
4.3×
Black vs. White incarceration
Alt. Programs
27
active diversion programs
Reform Initiatives
7
tracked by AltReform

Incarceration by Race

GA Overall521
National Avg568
Black (est.)1,344
White (est.)225

Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents. Racial estimates based on BJS/Sentencing Project methodology.

Recidivism Rate

69%3-year recidivism
This stateNational avg: 67%

Percent of people reincarcerated within 3 years of release. Source: BJS recidivism data series.

Cost vs. Alternatives

$19K
incarceration/yr
vs.
~$5K
diversion/yr

Active & Passed Reforms

3 initiatives

HB 1176 – Justice ReinvestmentView full details →

Comprehensive reform reducing incarceration for low-level offenses, saving $264M.

PassedSentencing2012
AltReform Score84/100

Accountability Courts ExpansionView full details →

Statewide network of drug, mental health, and veterans courts.

ActiveDiversion2018
AltReform Score80/100

SB 105 – Record RestrictionView full details →

Expanded eligibility for criminal record restrictions.

PassedReentry2020
AltReform Score74/100

Data Sources & Methodology

Reform data sourced from state legislative records, BJS Criminal Justice Statistics, the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, and The Sentencing Project. AltReform prediction scores (0,100) are generated by our ML model trained on 20+ years of state-level reform outcomes, weighting recidivism reduction, racial equity impact, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. Statistics are the most recent available (2021,2024).

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