Stalled Justice in the Peach State: Why Georgia’s Crime Problem Starts at Pre-Arrest

This is part of a series on crime and justice in Georgia. Read the other posts here: Pretrial, Post-Conviction.

Despite more than a decade of forward-thinking improvements under Govs. Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp, Georgia’s criminal justice system continues to face structural weaknesses that undermine both public safety and public trust. While some investments have been made to improve the system, persistent challenges—including falling case clearance rates, critical staffing shortages, and the overextension of the system to handle issues better suited to social services—continue to erode its core functions. These are not abstract concerns. They affect how crimes are investigated, how communities are protected, and how lives are impacted at every stage of the criminal justice process. Georgia’s aspirations to become a national leader in justice modernization are real, but that goal will remain out of reach without confronting these persistent problems.

Unsolved Crimes Endanger Public Safety

When residents report violent crime, they expect closure. In 2023, only 31 percent of violent crimes reported across Georgia were cleared, meaning an arrest was made or the case was otherwise resolved by exceptional means. The situation is even more dire when it comes to sexual violence: Rape cases had a clearance rate of just 20 percent statewide, well below the national average. These numbers reflect not only procedural failure, but the deep toll on victims left without closure or justice as well.

Several counties in Georgia illustrate just how widespread this problem has become. Police in DeKalb County cleared only 9 percent of violent crimes in 2023. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office reported a 14 percent clearance rate, and only 19 percent of violent offenses were solved in Habersham County. These figures suggest that the inability to investigate and close cases is not limited to any one jurisdiction. It is a statewide pattern that compromises safety and discourages victims from coming forward. When individuals believe crimes will remain unsolved, the deterrent effect of law enforcement all but disappears.

Personnel Shortages Are Crippling Investigations

Behind these low clearance rates lies another critical issue: Georgia’s law enforcement agencies are being asked to do more with less. By the end of 2023, the state’s officer-per-capita rate had slipped below the national average, which itself is suboptimal. This may seem marginal, but in practical terms, it means longer response times, fewer follow-ups, and far less capacity to investigate complex or violent crimes.

The shortage is particularly pronounced in Bibb County, which includes the city of Macon. While the agency has been able to fill some full-time and part-time roles, they remain significantly understaffed. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office reported having only 83 patrol deputies as of early 2024—barely half the number staffed before city-county consolidation.

And Bibb is not alone. A growing number of local departments in Southeast Georgia are struggling to meet even basic staffing levels. Agencies in smaller jurisdictions have faced record-low applicant pools and retention issues. The Hinesville Police Department and others have warned of burnout, safety risks, and investigative backlogs stemming directly from vacant patrol and supervisory roles.

In a more extreme case, the entire police department in the town of Fort Gaines recently disbanded after the chief and remaining officers resigned amid a consolidation with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Residents are expressing concern over longer response times and a lack of localized law enforcement presence now that the Sheriff’s Office has assumed public safety responsibilities.

State leaders have acknowledged the crisis. Public safety budgets have increased, and Gov. Kemp recently signed legislation to boost law enforcement pay and recruitment. However, the results have yet to be seen on the ground. In many departments, morale remains low while investigative caseloads remain unimaginable. As a result, even solvable cases can fall through the cracks. The staffing shortage does not just delay justice; it prevents it.

The Human Cost of Reactive Policing

Not only does Georgia’s system struggle to solve serious crimes, it often arrests individuals unnecessarily. The state has one of the highest rates of criminal justice contact in the country, with over 4.6 million residents holding a criminal history. Many of those records began with a moment of personal crisis rather than a premeditated threat to public safety.

A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report found that 26 percent of jail inmates experience serious psychological distress, while 44 percent have been diagnosed with a mental illness. A companion DOJ study revealed that over half of state prisoners and nearly two-thirds of jail inmates meet the criteria for substance dependence or abuse. A more recent case study found that among arrestees, 31.3 percent had a mental health diagnosis, 27.7 percent had a substance use disorder, and 22.5 percent had both.

In counties like Bibb, public defenders and jail administrators have raised concerns about the growing number of individuals in acute mental health crisis who are jailed repeatedly without receiving sustained care. Despite awareness of the issue, law enforcement has few alternatives when no mental health crisis centers or diversion programs are accessible.

Studies show that even short-term pretrial detention, regardless of guilt or innocence, increases the odds of future arrests. These patterns reflect a system that responds to symptoms rather than root causes. Already overburdened by crime-solving demands, officers are expected to function as mental health professionals despite a lack of training and institutional support.

Georgia at a Crossroads

Georgia’s criminal justice system is faltering under the weight of three compounding problems: unsolved crime, depleted staffing, and the overcriminalization of public health crises. Clearance rates remain dangerously low. Behavioral health episodes continue to be handled through arrest instead of care coordination. And officers are being asked to do more with less.

These are not abstract policy failures—they are real-world consequences felt most acutely in communities where violence goes unaddressed, investigations stall, and vulnerable people cycle in and out of jail. Georgia is not failing due to a lack of commitment from its officers, it is failing because the infrastructure needed to support effective, modern policing is still incomplete. A justice system that cannot solve crimes or safely divert people in crisis is a system in need of transformation.

Recognizing the depth of the problem is the first step. Until Georgia builds the capacity to match its ambitions, justice will remain out of reach for far too many.