Georgia corrections commissioner outlines governor's $458.7M amended FY25 and $144.6M FY26 recommendations to address staffing, contraband and locks

At a joint House appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Department of Corrections' budget, the department's commissioner presented the governor's amended fiscal 2025 and proposed fiscal 2026 recommendations, saying the package totals $458.7 million (amended FY25) and $144.6 million (FY26) and is intended to improve safety for staff, incarcerated people and the public.

The commissioner told committee members that consultants Guidehouse, Moss Group and CGL worked with the governor's office and the Georgia Department of Corrections to identify near-term priorities and that many of the green-highlighted items in the slide deck reflected that outside work. "You can study things for a long time and hope that you get the right answer and the right path forward. Well, this has been studied and studied, and I think it's time to get something done," the commissioner said.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for details because the requests cover personnel, capital work and recurring operations and are intended to respond to what the commissioner described as an increasingly violent offender population, widespread aging infrastructure and persistent contraband problems that undermine security.

Key proposals and discussion

Staffing and compensation: The commissioner said the department currently reports about 26,100 open positions across security and nonsecurity classifications. The governor's recommendations include a request to fund 882 additional correctional officer positions to move toward a lower officer-to-offender ratio (the commissioner described the target moving from about 1:14 toward roughly 1:11) and proposals for career-path promotions and pay adjustments. Specific budget items discussed included a $6.1 million proposal for in-grade promotion changes and a $9.6 million line in FY26 to provide a 4% salary increase for correctional officers to narrow gaps with neighboring states. Committee members repeatedly asked how many of the 26,100 vacancies are already funded; the commissioner said the requested budget would fund portions of the gap and that the subcommittee would be provided a funding breakdown.

Recruitment and training: The department proposes…