Hays Prison in Pennville is just one of 37 state prisons in the State of Georgia.  The number of Georgia citizens that are overseen by the Department of Corrections is staggering.

As of October 21st of this year there are currently 154,383 people on probation and 53,622 people incarcerated in state facilities.  There are 23,252 people on parole for a total of 231,257 people under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.

The Georgia Department of Corrections is the fifth largest prison system in the United States. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 15,000 employees

Hays Prison is a "close security prison".  According to the D.O.C. a closed security prison is defined as housing inmates that are escape risks, have assaultive histories, and may have detainers for other serious crimes on file. (A detainer is a request by another law enforcement agency to hold an offender pending other charges or actions.) These inmates never leave the prison and require supervision at all times by a correctional officer.

A maximum security prison consists of dangerous inmates who pose a high escape risk or they may have a history of assaults against other inmates or staff. These inmates never leave the prison and require supervision at all times by one or more correctional officers.