The Georgia Department of Corrections continues to struggle with an onslaught of drones that are being used to deliver contraband, such as drugs, cell phones, and potentially even the firearm used by an inmate of Smith State Prison to kill a food service worker in June.

Within six months of the Muscogee County Jail opening a new wing a few years ago, the jail was already filled to capacity. During the three-hour hearing Monday, the panel listened to testimony about the public defender’s role in decreasing overcrowding in jails like the lockups in Muscogee and Fulton counties.

Is Atlanta at risk of overcrowding? Last month, The Atlanta Regional Commission reported nearly 80,000 new people in the metro region since just last...