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ATLANTA – State Representative Bill Werkheiser (R-Glennville) has completed an unprecedented ten-month tour of all 35 state prisons in Georgia, becoming the only current legislator to visit every correctional facility in the state’s history.
Werkheiser, who serves on the House Committee for Public Safety and Corrections, embarked on the comprehensive tour soon after being elected to gain firsthand insight into prison conditions, staffing challenges, and rehabilitation programs across the state’s correctional system.
“You can’t truly understand our prison system from committee hearings alone,” Werkheiser said. “Walking through these facilities, speaking with both inmates and corrections officers, has given me a completely new perspective on the challenges we face.”
During his visits, Werkheiser documented severe staffing shortages. Most of the facilities are in very rural areas. The Representative talked about the successful rehabilitation programs that are increasingly harder to implement with the staffing shortage. He particularly praised the wide versatile vocational training programs which are unique to each prison. Before being elected, Werkheiser was a member of the Kairos Prison Ministry which is an intense long weekend in a facility in which laymen and pastors spend many hours with the same 5-8 inmates. The ministry is modeled after the Emmuas Walk originating within the Methodist denomination.
The Representative has been involved in comprehensive prison legislation since being elected. Key proposals include increasing officer pay, expanding educational programs, and improving mental health services. The State is currently building a new modern facility in Washington County.
