A Mother’s Nightmare
On January 24, 2025, a mother finally learned what Georgia’s Department of Corrections (GDC) had been hiding from her for nearly two weeks—her son, Jamie Shahan, was on life support at the Medical College of Georgia after suffering severe brain injuries and undergoing multiple surgeries.
Jamie, sentenced to just five years in prison for a nonviolent drug-related offense, was supposed to be serving his time at Washington State Prison (WSP), a medium-security facility in Georgia that has gained a reputation for extreme violence, gang control, and administrative cover-ups. His mother had tried for weeks to get answers after noticing his absence. Her calls for a wellness check were ignored, delayed, or outright denied.
Now, she is fighting for one thing: to be allowed to see her son before it’s too late.
But Warden Veronica Stewart, the same warden we have written about before in connection with unchecked gang violence, corruption, and inmate abuse at Washington State Prison, has denied her access—going as far as forbidding medical staff from updating the family on Jamie’s condition.
The Events That Led to a Man on Life Support
Jamie’s mother recounted a chilling timeline of events:
• December 27, 2024 – Jamie called his mother, telling her he had been jumped inside Washington State Prison and did not want her to visit because she would worry about his condition.
• January 4, 2025 – She visited anyway and was met at the entrance by Deputy Warden Ricky Alexander, who told her that he didn’t even know Jamie, which was a good thing—it meant he wasn’t causing trouble.
• Moments later, Alexander saw Jamie’s face for the first time and left the room without a word.
• Jamie was beaten so badly that his face was completely unrecognizable—black, blue, swollen, and bruised beyond recognition.
• When his mother asked what had happened, Jamie said only one word: “Gangs.”
• January 5, 2025 – Jamie called for what would be the last time, telling his mother that he would call again the next day.
• January 6-16, 2025 – No calls. No response to wellness check requests. His mother called repeatedly but got no answers.
• January 17, 2025 – After 11 days of silence, Deputy Warden Alexander finally picked up his phone.
• He admitted Jamie had been attacked again—the third time in ten days.
• He refused to give further information but finally admitted Jamie had been taken to a hospital.
• January 24, 2025 – After nearly two weeks of searching, the truth came out:
• A hospital intern informed Jamie’s mother that he had been on life support since January 12 and had already undergone multiple surgeries.
• Warden Veronica Stewart falsely claimed Jamie had overdosed, despite medical records showing no drugs in his system.
This isn’t just neglect—it’s a cover-up.
Washington State Prison: A Facility Where Violence Goes Unchecked
This is not the first time Washington State Prison has made headlines for brutal violence, administrative corruption, and deliberate indifference to inmate safety.
Previous Reports About Warden Stewart & Washington State Prison
🔴 January 2025: The Murder of Dontavis Carter
We previously reported on the murder of Dontavis Carter, a man killed inside this same prison on January 7, 2025. Just days before Jamie’s brutal beating, Carter’s death was linked to gang violence inside WSP, where prison officials—including Ricky Alexander and Veronica Stewart—failed to prevent or respond to the attack until it was too late.
🔴 October 2024: Inmate Abuse and Blue Water at Washington State Prison
Washington State Prison has also been under scrutiny for failing to provide clean water to inmates, with reports of “blue water” continuing for months. Meanwhile, inmates have reported routine beatings, retaliation for speaking out, and an atmosphere where gangs have more control than the prison staff themselves.
🔴 September 2024: The Cover-Up Culture of Georgia’s Prison System
WSP has repeatedly refused to document stabbings and assaults, choosing instead to protect the prison’s reputation rather than inmates’ lives. Instead of issuing disciplinary reports (DRs) and pressing criminal charges against violent offenders, officials hide the truth and leave victims vulnerable.
Washington State Prison isn’t just a dangerous place—it’s a place where the people in charge actively work to suppress information and silence families seeking the truth.
A Troubling Pattern of Denial and Cover-Ups
Jamie Shahan’s mother was told her son was on life support because of a drug overdose. But when she pressed for details, she was met with silence and obstruction. She had already seen her son brutally beaten once, and she knew the truth: this was no overdose.
This isn’t the first time Warden Veronica Stewart has been accused of dismissing violence under her watch as a drug-related incident. When she was Deputy Warden of Security at Telfair State Prison, she allegedly played a role in the death of a man who was locked in a shower while she emptied two cans of pepper spray into the confined space. The official explanation? A drug overdose—despite the fact that the man had never used drugs. His fellow inmates knew the truth, and they retaliated, stabbing Stewart in the arm.
Now, under her leadership at Washington State Prison, another man has been beaten nearly to death, and once again, Stewart is pointing to drugs instead of taking responsibility for the violence in her facility.
The pattern is clear: when violence happens under Stewart’s watch, the truth is buried, families are kept in the dark, and those responsible walk free.
A System That Protects Gangs Instead of Inmates
Jamie’s case is a clear example of how Georgia’s prison system operates to protect itself rather than those in its custody.
✅ Repeated, unpunished gang attacks
✅ Deliberate withholding of information from families
✅ Medical neglect and cover-ups
✅ A warden more focused on silencing families than addressing violence
Why is Jamie on life support today? Because the system allowed this to happen.
If Washington State Prison had intervened after the first attack, Jamie would not have been attacked again.
If administrators had responded to wellness check requests, his mother would not have spent weeks searching for her son.
If Warden Stewart had been honest, Jamie’s family wouldn’t have had to rely on a hospital intern for information.
This isn’t just one case—this is Georgia’s entire prison system at work.
A Call for Immediate Action
Jamie Shahan is on life support—and his mother is still being denied the right to see him.
This must stop now.
📢 We demand:
• Jamie’s mother be granted immediate visitation.
• The Georgia DOC release a full report on what happened.
• An independent investigation into Warden Veronica Stewart’s handling of this case.
We cannot allow Georgia’s Department of Corrections to keep silencing families while allowing inmates to beaten, ignored, and left for dead.
What You Can Do
If this story outrages you, help spread the word and demand justice for Jamie.
📢 Contact the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles:
🔹 Phone: (404) 656-4661
🔹 Website: pap.georgia.gov
📢 Use ImpactJustice.AI to Contact Lawmakers
🔹 Tell your state representatives that Warden Stewart must be held accountable.
🔹 Demand that prison officials be investigated for allowing repeated assaults.
📢 Share Jamie’s story
🔹 Post about this case on social media using #JusticeForJamie
🔹 Tag news outlets, reporters, and criminal justice reform advocates
Silence lets these abuses continue. If we don’t speak out, who will?
Conclusion: When Will Georgia Stop Protecting Corrupt Prison Officials?
Jamie Shahan’s case is not an isolated incident. It is one of many stories of brutality, silence, and systemic failure within Georgia’s prisons.
Washington State Prison—and the Georgia DOC as a whole—needs a complete overhaul.
Until there is transparency, accountability, and real consequences for the officials who allow this violence to continue, inmates will keep dying, and families will keep being kept in the dark.
Georgia must choose: continue covering up prison abuse, or finally put an end to it.
