Inmate intervention, advocacy meetings bring hope inside Bibb County Jail

A room of 11 incarcerated men in the Bibb County Jail Wednesday were asked to raise their hand if this was their first time behind bars.

All their hands stayed down.

Their responses represented the experience of most people at the jail, where recidivism is common, according to local advocates who visit them regularly.

Just Walk Away and Changing Mindsets Inc., two Macon-based violence prevention organizations, held a small group meeting to offer detainees a glimpse of hope, resources, prayer and intervention.

Any detainee can choose to attend the meetings, regardless of their charges, as long as they aren’t disruptive and don’t have disciplinary issues. For about two years, they’ve met for one hour most Wednesdays; one week with men, one week with women.

The men sat before local advocates, religious leaders, a case manager, a former state judge and Jerry Anderson, a Macon man who was previously in their position and granted clemency by former President Barack Obama. Anderson was a high-profile drug dealer once dubbed by a federal prosecutor as the “king of cocaine.”

Anderson, who was incarcerated for 28 years, asked what brought them back to jail.

For one man, the meeting was a safe space to admit he has substance addiction issues. Others nodded in apparent agreement.

“They gave me three life sentences … If it wasn’t for President Barack Obama, I’d still be here,” Anderson responded. “No man, I’m not coming back. My back is still hurting after those 28 years.”

His words of affirmation were met with nods and applause in the gloomy room. Prayers and talks of resources even brought smiles to some men’s faces.

Anderson, in a New York Knicks snapback and t-shirt with a photo of his girlfriend, left the podium area and sat between the orange jumpsuit-wearing men.

A young man in the room told Anderson that he was charged with family violence after being aggressive toward his dad.

“Come on man, get you a girl, get you a job man, stay out of jail,” Anderson said.. “We’re gonna get out man, you gotta get out.”

While River Edge Behavioral Health offers mental health services for detainees at the jail, this weekly group meeting has a more uplifting, conversational flow.

Detainees have access to a kiosk where they can request services such as legal and mental health support, but one man said resources on the kiosk are limited.

Macon NAACP President Gwenette Westbrooks, who tours the jail once a month, said all detainees have her personal cell phone number, and she will work with public defenders to try to move their cases along more quickly. An audit of issues at the jail recently found detainees’ court cases were often delayed, and kept people incarcerated there for long periods of time.

“I’m not inside the jail, but I know what happens in there …,” she told them during Wednesday’s session. “The system is not designed to help you while in prison.”

Herbert Dennard, founder of Just Walk Away and Changing Mindsets Inc., explained to the men how prominent historic figures educated themselves to maneuver through the corrections system. He repeats the stories every week of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Apostle Paul from the bible.

“Malcolm X, you heard of him?” Dennard asked. “While Malcolm X was in jail, he self-educated himself. He read the dictionary from the front to the back ... When he got out, he could debate anyone.”

Willie Pitts, a pastor with Word of Salvation Ministries, preached loudly about how prayer can bring them that love, hope and guidance while behind bars.

“Through him, you could be what?” Pitts asked the men, referencing God.

“Saved,” the group responded in unison.

Their energy felt a little brighter as they left the room, back to their cells.

Update on conditions at Macon jail

Treatment and living conditions at the correctional facility have worsened, Westbrooks said of her monthly tours, even though Macon-Bibb County has made efforts to improve it.

In recent months at the Bibb County Jail, there have been reported deaths and injuries among inmates, and a fire. Showers, toilets, air conditioning and lights often don’t work, Westbrooks said. Rodents and trash were seen in cell block hallways, according to photos posted on Facebook by the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia.

Concerns over those conditions led Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both Democrats representing Georgia, to request a federal investigation into the facility. Sheriff David Davis said he would cooperate with the DOJ if that investigation was pursued.

Mayor Lester Miller announced new programs in June to cut down the overpopulation of detainees. Davis has said there were too many people for the size of the jail, and architectural plans to expand the facility were being accepted in June.

“We have to stop making this a home for ourselves,” Westbrooks said to the detainees.

This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.