Georgia State Prison

Georgia State Prison is a maximum-security prison for adult male inmates located in Reidsville, Georgia. It was opened in 1938 and renovated in 1979,  and it houses a maximum of 1,530 inmates of mixed security levels.

The mission of Georgia State Prison is to ensure public safety by effectively operating a safe and secure facility while housing medium general population, mental health, and problematic male adult offenders incarcerated in the Georgia prison system. Georgia State Prison is also a transfer hub for the Southeast.

Housing facilities consist of nine buildings containing four, two-tiered cell blocks with single cells. Cell Blocks are organized into a general population unit, special management units, MH/MR Units, and a 26 bed surgical unit. Offenders assigned to the Fire Team reside away from the main compound at the Fire station. This facility also houses a Special Management Unit (SMU), a C.E.R.T. Team, two Tactical Squads, a Canine Unit, and a Fire Station.

Georgia State Prison is the main maximum-security facility in the state, and it has housed some of the most dangerous inmates in the state's history. It was the site of Georgia's death row until 1980.

One of the prisoners executed here was Lena Baker, an African American maid from Cuthbert, Georgia, who had been wrongfully convicted of murdering her employer. She was killed in March 1945 and remains the only woman electrocuted by the state.

In the 1940s and 1950s, volunteers were offered $25 to flip the switches which would start the flow of electricity and eventually lead to the death of the prisoner. Inmates would often be doused with saltwater to speed up their deaths, which often took minutes.

Georgia State Prison was the filming location of the 1974 film The Longest Yard which starred Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, and James Hampton.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was transferred from the Dekalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, to the Georgia State Prison. He was released on October 27, 1960, on a $2,000 bond because of pressure from the Kennedy family.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

The visiting days and hours at Georgia State Prison are Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

You must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections before you can visit an inmate at Georgia State Prison. For complete details about the visiting process, click here.

All visitors, age 16 and over, must have a photo ID to visit an inmate. 

The only items you can bring to a visit are an identification card, car keys, and money. No food or drink can be brought into the facility from the outside other than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. 

You are allowed to bring a maximum of twenty dollars ($20.00) in coins to be used for the vending machines. Musical instruments, radios, pets, cameras, or electronic devices are not allowed in the visiting area. 

All visitors are subject to a preliminary search by electronic surveillance instruments (metal detectors, etc.). All items brought into the facility by a visitor will be searched by officers assigned to the visitation area.

Visitors must wear appropriate clothing. Shoes are required at all times for visitors, including children if they are able to walk or stand. 

Male visitors are required to wear shirts and full-length trousers. Females may wear trousers, or if a female visitor wears a dress, skirt or other similar garment, it may NOT be more than two (2) inches above the knees. Furthermore, all female visitors must wear undergarments such as bras, panties, and slips. 

Inappropriate clothing includes, but is not limited to:  

• Dresses or tops with thin straps which expose shoulders or chest area in any manner
• Tube tops or halters of any type
• Any type of clothing which reveals the stomach or midriff area
• Any type of clothing that is made of sheer or transparent material
• Shorts of any kind or any kind of slacks that are above the knee (twelve years old and under may wear shorts)
• Male visitors are not permitted to wear tank tops or short tops of any kind, nor see-through tops made of net or mesh webbing. 
• Shorts are not permitted (children twelve 12 years old and under may wear shorts)
• Any other type of clothing that is suggestive or revealing in any way is prohibited

Video Visits

Georgia State Prison does offer video visits through JPay. You must have a JPay account, and the video visit can last up to 30 minutes. The fee for a 30-minute video visit is $3.95.

You can send a package to an inmate through the George Inmate Package Program. You can also send and receive videograms and emails through JPay, which cost anywhere between one and three stamps each.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Georgia State Prison, but they do have access to phones during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Georgia, please click here. 

How to Send Money

You must use JPay or MoneyGram to send money to an inmate at Georgia State Prison. The fees for this service vary based on which method you use and the amount of money you are sending.

JPay Options

• Online or Mobile App: To send an inmate money with your credit or debit card, visit JPay.com or download the JPay Mobile App that is available at the Apple App Store (for iPhones) and Google Play (for Android phones).
• By phone: Call (800) 574-5729 to talk with a live JPay call center agent and send money with a debit or credit card. 
• Mail a money orderㅡmade payable to JPayㅡwith a deposit slip to:

JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026

A money order deposit slip is available here.

Moneygram

If you would like to use cash, visit a MoneyGram location in person and use receive code 6857. MoneyGram locations include all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies. 

Programs For Inmates

WORK DETAILS

City of Reidsville, Evans County, Tattnall County, GCI Details, Grounds Maintenance, Fire Station, Outside Maintenance, Mobile Construction

PROGRAMS:

• Academic: General Education Diploma, Adult Basic Education, Remedial
• Counseling: Motivation for Change, Re-Entry Skills Building, Matrix Early Recovery Skills, Matrix Relapse Prevention, Thinking for a Change, Moral Reconation Therapy, Family Violence, Lifers Group
• Recreation: General Recreation
• Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study, Kairos
• Vocational/OJT: Barbering, Career Guidance Technician, Carpenter Apprentice, Construction Worker I, Custodial Maintenance, Diesel Mechanic, Electrician Helper, Firefighter I, Food Preparation, General Clerk; Chaplaincy/ Education/Law Library/ Library, Groundskeeper, Kitchen Helper, Laundry Worker, Building Maintenance, Painter I & II, Pipe Fitters, Plumber Helper, Roofer, Sheet Metal Worker, Small Engine Mechanic, Tile Setter, Warehouse, Warehouse Store Clerk, Welder

Pictures of Georgia State Prison

Careers at Georgia State Prison

Georgia State Prison is a great place to work where advancement opportunities and career options are always obtainable. Their ultimate mission is to protect the public. They do this by ensuring all offenders charged in their care remain incarcerated until they are officially released from count by parole or discharged ensuring they do not escape and threaten the community. 

"Georgia State Prison is an excellent facility to work at. There are numerous job advancement opportunities here. Everyone demonstrates the one team concept," says Lt. Michael Goettie.

"Georgia State Prison is leading the way in corrections. Striving for excellence in everything we do at GSP enables us to better protect all citizens of the State. Working for GSP offers a variety of health and retirement benefits. GSPs working environment emulates a family atmosphere; staff considers each other as family. Numerous functions are held within and outside of the facility to keep morale at an all-time high," says Officer Jennifer Gibson.

If you are interested in a job at Georgia State Prison, click here.