Georgia State Prison

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Front view of the Georgia State Prison. July 2007

Georgia State Prison is the main maximum security facility in the state of Georgia. Located on Hwy 147 just outside Reidsville, Georgia, "GSP" houses approximately 1000 inmates. The current warden is Stephen Upton.

"Georgia State Prison was the first prison in the United States to receive accreditation by the American Medical Association for its health care delivery services. The model of GSP’s Mental Health Program has been implemented in several federal facilities across the country. Georgia State Prison was also the first prison to receive accreditation by the American Correctional Association for meeting the requirements set forth by the American Correctional Association for Adult Correctional Facilities."[1]

At one time, the Georgia State Prison served as a death row prison. The skeletal remains of an electric chair can still be found in the museum on the upper floors of the main building, as well as prison documents containing names, authorizations, and last statements of the prisoners. In the 1940's and 1950's, volunteers were offered 25 dollars to flip the switches which would start the flow of electricity, and eventually lead to the death of the prisoner. Inmates would often be doused with saltwater to speed up their deaths, though it often took up to 10 minutes for them to reach their demise.

Many renovations were made. The expanding crime rate has added a multitude of buildings that span from the original structure. It has all security levels (Trusty to Maximum including Hi-Maximum) inmates. This prison houses some of the most dangerous inmates in the State of Georgia. The prison has counseling programs aimed at reducing the recidivism rate that rival many in the country.

[edit] Trivia

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was transferred to the Dekalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, to Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia. He was released on October 27, 1960 on a $2,000.00 bond.[2]

Until recently, GSP housed radical activist H. Rap Brown, now known as Jamil Al-Amin. Al-Amin was the chairman of SNCC in the late 1960's. In 2007, he was transferred to a federal facility where he now resides.

Georgia State Prison was featured satirically by Austin Powers in Goldmember, those who have ever worked or been incarcerated at GSP see the humor in the portrayal.

Paul S. George, wrote a journal article, "The College Program in the Georgia State Prison," in the ERIC database, which described the "development and operation of the associate degree program conducted by South Georgia College at the Georgia State Prison, a large maximum security prison, and compares it with a similar program conducted by Tallahassee Community College at the Federal Correction Institution in Florida, a small minimum security prison."[3]

Correctional officers at Georgia State Prison do not currently get paid for any overtime they are forced to work.