Following Sunday morning’s murder-suicide involving a food service worker and an inmate at Smith State Prison in Glennville where an inmate had possession of a gun, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced Monday that an in-depth systemwide assessment of the Georgia Department of Corrections system will be done.

In conjunction with Corrections, this action marks the latest measure to improve public safety of all Georgians, according to the Governor, and will identify current strengths, opportunities, and recommendations to enhance the department’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Over the course of the next 12 months, the state will partner with outside source Guidehouse who will visit multiple state prison facilities to gather information from personnel, conduct interviews with stakeholders, and develop an evidence-based assessment. This information will be compiled, and recommendations expected to be followed by the Department of Corrections.

Gov. Kemp says that since he took office, there has been an effort to crack down on crime, take violent offenders off the streets, and provide support and training for law enforcement with an investment of over $1.6 billion spent.

Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver said when he was appointment by Kemp, he was mandated by the Governor to keep Georgia safe by improving the Corrections system and claims he is doing that by improving retention levels of employees, removing approximately $7 million in contraband from prisons as well as shutting down the largest contraband trafficking ring n the country.

Guidehouse says to protect the integrity of the process, they nor any state entity will provide comments until the assessments are completed, at which time a full briefing will be made available.