Prisoners in Georgia were on the incline in 2009. According to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics Georgia reported 53,371 inmates last year compared to 52,719 in 2009, an increase of 1.2 percent.

The total number of U.S. prisoners under jurisdiction of state correctional authorities decreased by 2,941 inmates (down 0.2 percent). BJS said this marked the first decline in the state prison population since 1972.

Coosa Valley News