State prisons chief seeking $372M for safety upgrades

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) speaks in the Senate chamber at the State Capitol in Atlanta. Tillery said Tuesday he fully supports Gov. Brian Kemp's effort to improve the state prison system for staff and inmates. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/file)

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) speaks in the Senate chamber at the State Capitol in Atlanta. Tillery said Tuesday he fully supports Gov. Brian Kemp's effort to improve the state prison system for staff and inmates. (ASSOCIATED PRESS/file)

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Corrections asked state lawmakers Tuesday for $372 million to improve a prison system the Justice Department criticized last fall in a scathing report. Most of the additional investments would go toward hiring more correctional officers and pay raises aimed at gaining parity with neighboring states.

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