As of 2008, there were 54,016 people held in Georgia state prisons, placing the state fifth in the nation in its incarcerated population. Georgia trails only California, Texas, Florida, and New York in terms of the number of people in prison. In addition to a high number of people incarcerated, Georgia also incarcerates its citizens at a high rate. The state’s rate of incarceration of 542 people per 100,000 population is 20% higher than the national average for states of 450 per 100,000. By these measures, Georgia is at the forefront nationally in the use of imprisonment.

Incarceration Trends in Georgia, 1988-2008