Commissioner : Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Inaugural Meeting Held August 27

FORSYTH, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) hosted the inaugural meeting of the newly created Citizens Advisory Panel on Thursday, August 27, 2015. The panel was created by Commissioner Homer Bryson in June, with the goal of creating safe, open lines of communication between families, concerned citizens and the department in order to help incarcerated individuals get the resources that met their mental, emotional and spiritual needs.  Comprised of citizens from around the state, to include family and friends of incarcerated offenders, as well as former offenders, the panel offers the Department a community point-of-view on the impact of its policies, programs and services.

“This is a chance for offender families and the community to be more engaged in the criminal justice reform process,” said Commissioner Homer Bryson. “Getting input from the community regarding what we can do to better serve the inmate population and their families will help us maintain safer, more secure facilities, and create healthy, productive returning citizens.”

The vision of the panel is to be the primary connecting point for families and concerned citizens, with a focus on maintaining a relationship with the GDC.  The ultimate goal is to increase the quality of life while incarcerated, decrease the recidivism rates and have safer communities when offenders return home.

Future meetings of the panel are currently being planned, and will occur as needed.  The next meeting is currently scheduled for Thursday, October 15 at State Offices South at Tift College.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 55,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.

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