SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Workers and inmates at Coastal State Prison are reporting what they call a human rights crisis, echoing findings from a federal investigation into Georgia’s prison system.
A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Georgia prisons, including Coastal State, are failing to protect inmates from violence, neglect, and unconstitutional conditions. Two employees and an inmate inside Coastal State told WTOC Investigates those failures are happening in Savannah. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation.
Prison conditions mirror statewide crisis
Coastal State Prison, a medium-security facility designed to house roughly 1,800 inmates, sits just miles from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. According to two prison workers and an inmate, what’s happening inside mirrors what the U.S. Department of Justice calls a systemic crisis across Georgia’s prisons.
“There are tons of countries that we call third world countries that put their prisoners in these conditions. And, you know, we do call them out for it. But it’s happening here and people don’t seem to bat an eye about it,” one employee said…