ATLANTA — Georgia leads the nation in placing its citizens on probation, a distinction that is now being studied by the state’s criminal justice reform experts, a federal report shows.
The state’s probation population at the end of last year was 471,067, according to newly released numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Georgia’s number remains the highest in the nation — by far — in spite of a 9 percent decline over the previous year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Georgia also topped the charts for its probation rate, which was quadruple the national rate and more than double the rate posted by any other state, the newspaper reported.
The numbers include both felony and misdemeanor cases.
Some in Georgia say the numbers are significantly inflated, but others say the numbers reflect an overuse of probation in Georgia, where courts contract with private probation companies to supervise and collect payments from people who can’t afford to pay tickets on the day they go to court.
“These figures are an embarrassment and a call to action,” said Sarah Geraghty, an attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights. The group has filed lawsuits and complaints related to probation given to defendants accused of misdemeanors.
Geraghty said Georgia’s numbers are so high because of money.
“Georgia leads the nation in the number of people on probation because of Georgia’s booming private probation industry,” she said. “About 80 percent of people on misdemeanor probation in Georgia are supervised by private companies. These companies have a profit motive to have as many people on probation as possible for as long as possible. It’s as simple as that.”