Georgia's prison system is currently the subject of three simultaneous federal accountability actions on conditions, and solitary confinement is central to all of them. The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) operates the Special Management Unit (SMU) at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson -- a unit described in federal court as "one of the harshest and most draconian" in the country. In April 2024, a federal judge issued a contempt order against GDC for "flagrant" violation of a settlement agreement governing the SMU. In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice released a 94-page report after a three-year investigation finding Georgia's prisons unconstitutional, with "excessive and unsafe use of restrictive housing" among the documented violations. GDC rejected both sets of findings. Governor Kemp proposed $600 million for prison improvements in January 2025. The crisis deepened even as the state pushed back.
This guide explains how Georgia's solitary confinement system works, what the courts and federal government have found, and what families can do.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Georgia
The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) uses the term "restrictive housing" as a general category and the "Special Management Unit" (SMU) as the designation for long-term isolated housing. Prior to the 2019 settlement, the SMU also operated under earlier names as Georgia's primary supermax unit.
Restrictive housing in Georgia encompasses several types:
- Disciplinary isolation: Short-term punitive placement following a disciplinary hearing.
- Administrative segregation: Non-punitive placement for safety, security, or investigative purposes.
- Special Management Unit (SMU): Georgia's most restrictive long-term isolation unit, located at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson. This is the unit under federal court oversight and the primary focus of accountability litigation.
The Special Management Unit in Georgia
The SMU at Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson is Georgia's supermax-equivalent unit. It has 192 cells, each measuring approximately 6 feet by 9 feet. The cells have solid metal doors with a small glass window and a sliding cover. Meals are passed through a slot. A small exterior window is covered by a shield.
Before the 2019 settlement, the SMU operated a three-tier program across six wings. Prisoners were supposed to be able to move through the wings in about 18 months and then transfer out. In practice, many languished in the SMU for years. In the most restrictive wings, prisoners were locked in their cells 24 hours a day, five to seven days a week and were not allowed books or other materials.
Psychology professor Craig Haney, who has evaluated solitary confinement units in roughly two dozen states, described the SMU as having an atmosphere that was "as chaotic and out-of-control as any such unit I have seen in decades of conducting evaluations."
The 2019 Settlement and Gumm v. Jacobs
In 2019, GDC settled a lawsuit filed by prisoners in the SMU (Gumm v. Jacobs). The settlement required GDC to restore basic constitutional rights to SMU inmates. Key terms:
- At least 4 hours of out-of-cell time each weekday.
- No prisoner housed in the SMU longer than 2 years, except in narrowly defined circumstances.
- Access to educational programming and materials.
- Prisoners with 6 months or 1 year remaining on their sentence to be transferred to a less restrictive environment.
In April 2024, Judge Marc Treadwell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia issued a 100-page contempt order against GDC finding "flagrant" violation of this settlement. The court found GDC had made false statements or misrepresentations about its compliance efforts. GDC had, in the days before federal investigators visited, hurriedly made repairs to buildings that had languished in disrepair -- a pattern the court found indicative of systematic deception rather than good-faith compliance.
Who Can Be Placed in Restrictive Housing in Georgia
Short-term disciplinary isolation in Georgia follows a disciplinary hearing and is limited to violations of GDC's rules. Placement in administrative segregation requires safety or security justification.
Placement in the SMU requires a classification decision by GDC and is supposed to be based on serious and ongoing safety or security concerns. The 2019 settlement limits SMU stays to 2 years except in narrow circumstances. In practice, the April 2024 contempt order documented that the settlement's requirements were being violated.
GDC's housing and classification process has been criticized in the October 2024 DOJ investigation, which called for a reevaluation of the housing and inmate classification process to improve safety.
Conditions in Georgia Restrictive Housing
Before the 2019 settlement, the SMU was described as 24-hours-per-day isolation with no books or materials in the most restrictive wings. Post-settlement, the GDC was required to provide 4 hours of weekday out-of-cell time and educational materials.
The October 2024 DOJ investigation found "excessive and unsafe use of restrictive housing" among the documented constitutional violations across GDC's prison system. The report found:
- Violence is endemic across GDC prisons, with a homicide rate nearly three times the national average.
- GDC is "deliberately indifferent" to unsafe conditions.
- Gang activity drives violence inside prisons, with gang members ordering violence via contraband phones.
- Extreme staffing shortages -- some facilities had 80% vacancy rates for correctional officers as of April 2024.
GDC rejected the DOJ's findings, with spokesperson Joan Heath stating "the State of Georgia's prison system operates in a manner exceeding the requirements of the United States Constitution."
How Long People Stay in the SMU
The 2019 Gumm v. Jacobs settlement limited SMU stays to 2 years except in narrow circumstances. The April 2024 contempt order documented that this limit was being violated, with people remaining in the SMU beyond the 2-year period without the narrow justifications the settlement required.
Short-term disciplinary isolation is limited by the disciplinary sanction imposed at the hearing. Administrative segregation is supposed to be reviewed regularly and resolved as quickly as the underlying concern allows.
There is no Georgia statute limiting the duration of administrative segregation or the SMU.
The 2024 DOJ Investigation
On October 1, 2024, the U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division published the findings from its three-year investigation of Georgia prisons. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated: "Time in prison should not be a sentence to death, torture or rape."
Key DOJ findings:
- Constitutional violations under the Eighth Amendment for failure to protect prisoners from violence and sexual abuse.
- Georgia's homicide rate in state prisons was nearly triple the national average in 2019 (34 per 100,000 vs. 12 nationally).
- From January 2022 through April 2023, more than 1,400 reported incidents of violence across 24 Georgia prisons.
- Excessive and unsafe use of restrictive housing.
- GDC "deliberately indifferent" to unsafe conditions.
- GDC obstructed the investigation, refused to release records, and restricted when and how federal investigators could visit prisons, making the investigation "unnecessarily contentious and lengthy."
The DOJ issued 13 pages of remedial measures and warned that the federal government could initiate a lawsuit if concerns weren't addressed within 49 days. As of reporting in 2025, that deadline had passed without DOJ filing suit. GDC continued to reject the findings.
Mental Health Protections
GDC operates under general Eighth Amendment obligations to provide mental health care, but Georgia has no statute specifically limiting the use of restrictive housing for people with serious mental illness. The October 2024 DOJ report found that the staffing crisis in Georgia prisons was severely limiting mental health treatment, with many positions vacant. The SMU, which houses people in isolated conditions, was specifically criticized for the lack of programming and therapeutic resources.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in the SMU, disciplinary isolation, or administrative segregation in a Georgia state prison:
Find where your person is housed. GDC provides an offender search at gdc.ga.gov. This confirms facility placement.
Contact the facility. Each GDC facility has administrative and classification staff. Contact them to confirm your person's current housing status and the stated reason for placement. The SMU is located at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, GA.
Know the SMU settlement terms. Under Gumm v. Jacobs, SMU residents should be receiving at least 4 hours of out-of-cell time on weekdays, access to educational programming and materials, and should not be held in the SMU for more than 2 years without documented narrow justification. If your person is not receiving these, document this.
Document everything. If your person is calling or writing from the SMU or other restrictive housing, keep detailed records: daily out-of-cell time, access to materials and programming, length of stay in the unit, mental health services received, and any incidents of violence.
File a grievance. GDC has an internal grievance process. Help your person file grievances documenting conditions. This creates a paper trail that is important for any future legal action.
Contact the Southern Center for Human Rights. The Southern Center for Human Rights (schr.org) has been actively involved in litigating Georgia prison conditions and may be able to provide referrals or information about the SMU litigation.
Contact the ACLU of Georgia. The ACLU of Georgia (acluga.org) monitors GDC conditions and may have current information about advocacy resources.
Contact Georgia Prisoners' Speak. Georgia Prisoners' Speak (gps.press) is a publication that monitors and reports on GDC conditions and may provide resources for families.
Seek legal help. If your person is in the SMU beyond the 2-year limit without documented justification, or is not receiving the out-of-cell time and programming required by the Gumm v. Jacobs settlement, these are potential grounds for legal action. Consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Georgia federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Georgia prisons?
GDC uses "restrictive housing" as a general term and "Special Management Unit" (SMU) for long-term isolated housing. Disciplinary isolation follows a disciplinary hearing. Administrative segregation is used for safety and security management. The SMU at Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson is GDC's most restrictive unit and the one under federal court oversight.
What is the Special Management Unit in Georgia?
The SMU at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson is Georgia's supermax-equivalent unit. It has 192 cells measuring approximately 6 by 9 feet, with solid metal doors, meal slots, and shielded exterior windows. A federal court described it as "one of the harshest and most draconian" solitary confinement units in the country. It is under a 2019 court settlement (Gumm v. Jacobs) requiring 4 hours of weekday out-of-cell time and a 2-year maximum stay. GDC was found in contempt of that settlement in April 2024.
Who can be placed in the Georgia SMU or RHU?
Disciplinary isolation follows a disciplinary hearing. Administrative segregation is used for safety, security, or investigative concerns. SMU placement is a GDC classification decision for people deemed serious ongoing safety or security risks. The 2019 settlement was supposed to limit who stays in the SMU and for how long, but the April 2024 contempt order found GDC was violating those limits.
What are conditions like in Georgia restrictive housing?
Pre-2019, the SMU had prisoners locked in cells 24 hours a day with no books or materials in the most restrictive wings. The 2019 settlement required 4 hours of weekday out-of-cell time and educational materials access. The October 2024 DOJ investigation found "excessive and unsafe use of restrictive housing," endemic violence, extreme staffing shortages (some facilities with 80% officer vacancy rates), and a GDC deliberately indifferent to unsafe conditions.
How long can someone stay in the Georgia SMU?
The 2019 Gumm v. Jacobs settlement limits SMU stays to 2 years, with narrow exceptions. The April 2024 contempt order found GDC was violating this limit. There is no Georgia statute setting a maximum duration for SMU or administrative segregation. Short-term disciplinary isolation is bounded by the sanction from the disciplinary hearing.
What did the 2024 DOJ investigation find about Georgia?
The October 2024 DOJ investigation found Georgia prisons violate the Eighth Amendment through failure to protect prisoners from violence and sexual abuse. Georgia's homicide rate was nearly triple the national average. More than 1,400 violent incidents occurred across 24 prisons in a 16-month period. The investigation found "excessive and unsafe use of restrictive housing," deliberate indifference, and GDC obstruction of the investigation itself. GDC rejected all findings.
What is the Gumm v. Jacobs contempt order about?
In April 2024, Judge Marc Treadwell issued a 100-page contempt order finding GDC in "flagrant" violation of the 2019 Gumm v. Jacobs settlement governing the SMU. GDC had failed to provide required out-of-cell time, access to programming, and had kept people in the SMU beyond the 2-year limit. The court also found GDC had made false statements or misrepresentations about its compliance -- including making repairs immediately before federal visits that had been neglected for years.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in GA?
There is no Georgia statute specifically prohibiting placement of people with serious mental illness in restrictive housing. GDC operates under general Eighth Amendment obligations. The October 2024 DOJ investigation found extreme staffing shortages severely limiting mental health treatment. The SMU was criticized for lack of programming and therapeutic resources. No court has yet imposed on GDC the kind of SMI-exclusion requirements that exist in states like Colorado, Arizona, or Connecticut.
Can families visit someone in Georgia restrictive housing?
SMU and administrative segregation typically involve restricted visiting. Contact the specific facility directly to confirm current visiting status. For the SMU at Georgia Diagnostic Prison, contact the facility administration before making a trip. Written mail generally retains stronger protections than phone or visits during restricted housing.
What can families do if someone is in Georgia solitary?
Use GDC's offender search at gdc.ga.gov to find your person's facility. Contact the facility for current housing status and reasons for placement. If your person is in the SMU, know the 4-hours-weekday and 2-year settlement requirements from Gumm v. Jacobs. Document all conditions carefully. File grievances through GDC's process. Contact the Southern Center for Human Rights (schr.org), ACLU of Georgia (acluga.org), or Georgia Prisoners' Speak (gps.press) for advocacy resources and referrals. If the Gumm v. Jacobs settlement terms are being violated, consult a prisoner rights attorney. ---