Special Editorial Series: Georgia’s prison system is in crisis

Georgia’s prison system is in crisis: Face it, fix it.

For years, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on rampant violence, drugs and corruption in the state’s correctional institutions. This week, we hear from stakeholders and look for solutions.

Today kicks off a series of editorials that will tackle the issue and what can be done. For this introductory look at the problem, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has worked with artist Calder Robinson to present the Editorial Board’s words in a special presentation. The two-page graphic illustration appears in the Sunday, Aug. 25, print edition of the AJC and online in the AJC ePaper. To ensure ease of viewing online, the panels of the illustration are presented here as a sequence in a gallery.

About the artist:

Calder Robinson is a visual artist based in Atlanta. He specializes in murals and freelance illustration, using simple imagery and symbolism to create detailed compositions. His unique style often features a crowd of figures to explore various perspectives and stories, inviting diverse interpretations and oftentimes humor for close observers. Originally from Indiana, his work explores universal shared experiences, from momentous occasions to the mundane.

Credit: Contributed/Calder Robinson

Credit: Contributed/Calder Robinson

Click or tap on this link to the ePaper to view the pages — with a storytelling style that’s similar to a contemporary graphic novel — that can be zoomed in and scrolled as part of our digital edition of the AJC. Here’s a preview of the full two-page version of the panels we’ve featured in our gallery presentation online.

Credit: Calder Robinson

We hope you find this special presentation informative and compelling to help explain the dire straits of a system overrun with violence, drugs and corruption. The AJC’s editorial series will show how the problems at the state’s prisons spill into our communities.