Georgia has four private state prisons, all medium-security men’s facilities operated under contract with the Georgia Department of Corrections: Coffee and Wheeler in south Georgia, Jenkins near the South Carolina line, and Riverbend in Milledgeville. Three are run by CoreCivic and one by the GEO Group, and together they hold roughly 5,376 people.1Georgia Department of Corrections. Private Prisons Fact Sheet Georgia also hosts several privately run federal immigration and detention facilities, which are a separate system with separate rules.
The Four Private State Prisons
All four house adult men classified as medium-security.2Georgia Department of Corrections. Private Prisons
- Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls is the largest, operated by CoreCivic, with a contracted maximum of 2,628 and physical bed space for 2,855.
- Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo, also CoreCivic, is contracted for 2,320 with bed space for 2,863. Wheeler opened through Georgia’s 1997 private-contracting process.
- Jenkins Correctional Facility in Millen is a CoreCivic facility that opened in March 2012 and holds up to 1,226 people.
- Riverbend Correctional Facility in Milledgeville is the only one run by the GEO Group, contracted for up to 1,500 with bed space for 1,588. It employs roughly 300 residents from Baldwin and surrounding counties.1Georgia Department of Corrections. Private Prisons Fact Sheet
Georgia’s FY 2026 budget adds $5.9 million to put 188 more beds at Coffee and 258 more at Wheeler, plus $2.9 million for a 4% salary bump for security staff at the private facilities.
Who Runs Them, and How the Money Works
CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) runs Coffee, Wheeler, and Jenkins. The GEO Group runs Riverbend. Both are publicly traded companies headquartered outside Georgia. The state pays each a daily per-diem rate for every person housed, which covers food, medical care, staffing, and upkeep, with margin left for corporate profit.
The arrangement dates to 1997, when Georgia first turned to private operators as prison populations climbed. CoreCivic (then CCA) won the original Coffee and Wheeler contracts. The GEO Group and Jenkins came later, both through contracts signed in 2010.2Georgia Department of Corrections. Private Prisons The authority to contract sits in O.C.G.A. ยง 42-1-11, which also requires private facilities to meet the same security and health standards as state-run prisons and allows the state to impose penalties or cancel a contract if standards slip.
A 2019 state audit found the daily cost of housing someone in a private prison was $49.07, compared with $44.56 in a state-run facility.
The 2024 DOJ Findings and the Staffing Crisis
In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice released findings from an investigation covering all 34 state-run prisons and the 4 private facilities. The conclusion: Georgia violates the Eighth Amendment by failing to protect incarcerated people from violence and sexual harm.3U.S. Department of Justice. Investigation of Georgia Prisons
Between 2018 and 2023, the Georgia Department of Corrections reported 142 homicides across its prisons, with a record 35 in 2023 alone. Correctional officer vacancy rates system-wide reached 56.3% in 2022 and sat at 52.5% in 2023. The DOJ found that dangerous contraband including weapons and drugs was “commonplace” at most facilities reviewed and that gang activity operated largely unchecked.3U.S. Department of Justice. Investigation of Georgia Prisons
Documentation itself was thin. Between January 2022 and April 2023, fewer than 10% of fights and fewer than 23% of inmate-on-inmate assaults were forwarded for investigation. The DOJ described the state as “deliberately indifferent” to these conditions.
Private facilities compete with state facilities for the same shrinking pool of applicants, often in rural counties where qualified candidates are scarce. Officers at private prisons must complete the same Basic Correctional Officer Training as those at state-run facilities, meeting standards set by the POST Training Council.4Georgia Department of Corrections. Become a Correctional Officer The FY 2026 pay raise is an acknowledgment that compensation at the private sites has lagged.
Rights, Grievances, and Staying in Contact
People held in Georgia’s private prisons use the same grievance system as those in state-run facilities. It starts with an informal grievance to a counselor. If the response is unsatisfactory, a formal grievance has to be filed within five business days. The grievance coordinator reviews the counselor’s findings and forwards everything to the warden, who has 30 calendar days (with a possible 10-day extension) to respond. A final appeal goes to the Director of the Office of Investigations and Compliance, who has 90 calendar days to issue a decision. That decision ends the departmental process.
For concerns that fall outside the grievance track, the GDC’s Ombudsman and Inmate Affairs Office is the better contact. Families can reach that office at (478) 992-5358 or Ombudsman@gdc.ga.gov.5Georgia Department of Corrections. Ombudsman and Inmate Affairs Office
Visitation
Visits at all GDC facilities, including the four private prisons, take place on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, scheduled in advance through the department’s online portal in two-hour blocks. The GDC treats visitation as a privilege rather than a right, so it can be restricted for security reasons or disciplinary infractions. Rules can vary by facility, and calling the specific prison before scheduling is worth the time.6Georgia Department of Corrections. Visitation
Phone and Video Calls
Calling costs have long been a sore point. Revised FCC rate caps that take effect April 6, 2026 cap audio calls from prisons at $0.11 per minute and video calls at $0.25 per minute, regardless of facility size.7Federal Communications Commission. Incarcerated People’s Communications Services Whether a particular facility has fully implemented the new caps is worth confirming, since compliance timelines can vary.
Federal Immigration and Detention Facilities Are Separate
The four facilities above are the state’s private prisons. Georgia also hosts several privately operated federal detention facilities, which run under federal contracts and federal detention standards rather than Georgia law. If you are trying to locate someone held by ICE or the U.S. Marshals, the state grievance system and ombudsman will not help.
Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin is owned and operated by CoreCivic under contract with ICE and is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the country.8Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Stewart Detention Center A 2023 DHS Office of Inspector General inspection identified compliance concerns at the facility.9Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. Results of an Unannounced Inspection of ICE’s Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia
Folkston ICE Processing Center in Charlton County handles short- and long-term immigration detention.10Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Folkston ICE Processing Center (Main) A 2022 DHS inspection found violations of ICE detention standards there, including issues with COVID-19 protocols.11Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. Violations of ICE Detention Standards at Folkston ICE Processing Center and Folkston Annex
D. Ray James in Folkston, owned by the GEO Group, opened in 1997 as a state prison, moved to Bureau of Prisons use in 2010, and then sat largely idle. In June 2025, ICE activated the 1,868-bed facility as a federal immigration processing center under an intergovernmental service agreement.12The GEO Group. GEO Group Announces Activation of Company-Owned 1,868-Bed D. Ray James Facility The U.S. Marshals Service also uses private facilities in Georgia to hold federal defendants awaiting trial.