Georgia, a state that has historically incarcerated disproportionate numbers of black offenders, has recently reduced their black prison intake by 20%, according to a study detailed last week in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. How was this accomplished?

According to Governor Nathan Deal, “By identifying low-risk, nonviolent offenders and more effective ways to rehabilitate them, we are steering these offenders away from a life of crime and reserving our expensive prison beds for the violent offenders who pose a public safety risk.” 

This move is only one example of the changes Georgia is making in an attempt to revolutionize a penal system that has ranked one of the highest used in the country, leading the nation in incarceration rates as recently as 2009.

What other reforms are taking place in Georgia? Find out more at atlantadailyworld.com