The Georgia Prison Guard Shortage is Killing Incarcerated People

The Intercept_, August 30, 2021: The Georgia Prison Guard Shortage is Killing Incarcerated People

“Dontavius Mintz’s mother says her son had been dead in his cell for days when the smell finally attracted attention. Guards at Ware State Prison in Georgia are supposed to check on people in the hole regularly. Of course, they’re supposed to be doing a lot of things they’re not doing right now.

That’s the message Mintz had been trying to tell people outside prison. Mintz, a 24-year-old serving a life sentence, had been working with a prison reform activist group, the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia. In letters and phone calls, Mintz had described the deteriorating condition of the South Georgia penitentiary, the shortage of guards, the increasingly inedible food, the extreme restriction on movement, and more, said Brian Randolph, a spokesperson for the coalition.”

Additional reading:

The Marshall Project, updated June 11, 2021: Prison Guard Shortage

NBC News, May 21, 2021: Federal prisons forced to use cooks, nurses to guard inmates due to staff shortages

The Pew Trusts, March 1, 2016: Many States Face Dire Shortage of Prison Guards