Arrendale State Prison
Facility Information
- Bed Capacity
- 1,476 beds
- Current Population
- 326
- Active Lifers
- 31 (9.5% of population) · Apr 2026 GDC report
- Life Without Parole
- 6 (1.8%)
- Address
- 2023 Gainesville Highway, Alto, GA 30510
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 709, Alto, GA 30510
- County
- Habersham County
- Opened
- 1926
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- Carmon Edwards
- Phone
- (706) 776-4700
- Fax
- (706) 776-4710
- Staff
- Deputy Warden Security: Pablo Ramirez
- Deputy Warden C&T: Alex Ballenger
- Deputy Warden Admin: Sheryl Moore
Special Designations
- Death Row
About
Lee Arrendale State Prison is Georgia’s primary women’s prison, a special-mission facility in Alto that houses adult and juvenile female felons, including the state’s female death-row unit. Constructed in 1926 and opened as a prison in 1951, it was converted to an all-female facility in 2005. Housing is primarily dormitory-style with a medical unit, and the prison offers GED and other academic programs, vocational training, substance-abuse treatment, and specialized programs such as canine and fire-station details.
Mortality Statistics
24 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 0
- 2025: 6
- 2024: 4
- 2023: 3
- 2022: 5
- 2021: 5
- 2020: 1
County Public Health Department
Food service and sanitation at Arrendale State Prison fall under the jurisdiction of the Habersham County Environmental Health Department. Incarcerated people cannot choose where they eat — public health inspectors carry an elevated responsibility to hold this kitchen to the same standards applied to any restaurant.
Contact
- Title
- EH Manager
- Name
- Marcus Hall
- Address
-
130 Jacob's Way, Suite 102
Clarkesville, GA 30523 - Phone
- (706) 776-7659
- habershameh@dph.ga.gov
- Website
- Visit department website →
Why this matters
GPS has documented black mold on chow-hall ceilings, cold and contaminated trays, spoiled milk, and pest contamination at Georgia prisons. The Department of Justice's 2024 report confirmed deaths from dehydration and untreated diabetes tied to food and water deprivation. Advance-notice inspections let facilities stage temporary fixes that disappear once inspectors leave.
Unannounced inspections by the county health department are one of the few outside checks on kitchen conditions behind the fence.
How you can help
Write to the county inspector and request an unannounced inspection of the kitchen and food service operation at this facility. A short, respectful letter citing Georgia food-safety regulations is more powerful than you think — inspectors respond to public concern.
Sample Letter
This is the letter Georgia Prisoners' Speak mailed to all county environmental health inspectors responsible for GDC facilities. Feel free to adapt it.
April 26, 2026
RE: Request for Unannounced Public Health Inspection of Food Service Operations at Arrendale State Prison
Dear Marcus Hall,
I am writing to respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough, unannounced inspection of food service and sanitation practices at Arrendale State Prison, located in Habersham County.
Documented concerns
Georgia Prisoners' Speak, a nonprofit public advocacy organization, has published extensive investigative reporting on food safety and nutrition failures across Georgia's prison system, including:
- Dangerous sanitation conditions — black mold on chow hall ceilings and air vents, contaminated food trays, and spoiled milk served to inmates.
- Severe nutritional deficiency — roughly 60 cents per meal; inmates receive only 40% of required protein and less than one serving of vegetables per day.
- Preventable deaths — the U.S. Department of Justice's 2024 report confirmed deaths from dehydration, renal failure, and untreated diabetes following food and water deprivation.
- Staged compliance — advance-notice inspections allow facilities to stage temporary improvements, then revert once inspectors leave.
Firsthand testimony
In Surviving on Scraps: Ten Years of Prison Food in Georgia, a person who has spent more than ten years in GDC custody describes no functional dishwashing sanitation, chronic mold on food trays, and roaches found on the undersides of trays at intake facilities. Full account: gps.press/surviving-on-scraps-ten-years-of-prison-food-in-georgia.
Specific requests
- Conduct an unannounced inspection of the kitchen and food service operations at this facility, with particular attention to dishwashing equipment, tray sanitation procedures, and food storage conditions.
- Evaluate compliance with applicable Georgia food safety regulations, including O.C.G.A. § 26-2-370 and the Georgia Food Service Rules and Regulations (Chapter 511-6-1).
- Verify permit status and confirm whether the facility is subject to the same inspection schedule as other institutional food service establishments in the county.
- Make inspection results available to the public, as permitted under Georgia's Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70).
Incarcerated individuals cannot advocate for their own health and safety in the way a restaurant patron can — they cannot choose to eat elsewhere. This places an elevated responsibility on public health officials to ensure these facilities meet the same sanitation standards applied to any food service establishment.
Thank you for your attention to this important public health matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Food Safety Inspections
Georgia Department of Public Health
What the score doesn't measure. DPH grades kitchen compliance on inspection day — food storage, temperatures, pest control. It does not grade whether today's trays are clean. GPS reporting has found broken dishwashers at most Georgia state prisons we've documented; trays go out wet, stacked, and visibly moldy — including at facilities with recent scores near 100.
Who inspects. Most Georgia state prisons sit in rural counties — often with fewer than 20,000 people, several with fewer than 10,000. The environmental health inspector lives in that community and often knows the kitchen staff personally. Rural inspection regimes don't have the structural independence you'd expect in a city-sized health department. Read the scores accordingly.
Read the investigation: “Dunked, Stacked and Served: Why Georgia Prison Trays Are Making People Sick”
Recent inspections
| Date | Score | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2025 | 92 | Routine | |
| Jul 18, 2023 | 93 | Routine |
April 1, 2025 — Score 92
Routine · Inspector: Marcus Hall
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2A |
pic present, demonstrates knowledge, performs duties 511-6-1.03(2)(a)-(n)(p),(q) - responsibility of pic (pf) | 4 | Observed staff utilizing improper sanitization methods; multiple attempts in obtaining concentration strength for Quaternary Ammonium solution, however staff nor PIC were able to provide testing kit to measure solution concentration; further investigation revealed that staff had been supplied with Latic acid testing strips for Quaternary Ammonium solution; PIC was advised to contact supplier and request the appropriate testing kit for sanitizing solution used within the facility; advised PIC to ensure staff was trained on how to prepare solution correctly. |
| 2B |
food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized 511-6-1.05(8)(b) - hot water and chemical-methods(p) | 4 | Improper sanitization methods (see violation 1-2A); staff supplied with Latic acid testing strips for testing a Quaternary Ammonium solution; consulted with PIC on ensuring the proper sanitization methods were utilized within the facility. |
July 18, 2023 — Score 93
Routine · Inspector: Yasmin Rojas-Marroquin
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15B |
warewashing facilities: installed, maintained, used; test strips 511-6-1.05(6)(d),(e) - warewashing equipment, cleaning frequency; warewashing machines, manufacturers' operating instructions (c) | 1 | observed an accretion of lime along interior manifold of a facility warewashing machine; warewashing equipment shall comply with the standards of the Georgia Food Code. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) Repeat | 2 | Observed broken plumbing fixture below the basin of hand-washing station. Observed hand washing station not operational in rear of kitchen. Consulted with PIC on ensuring all plumbing fixtures are in compliance with the Health Authority's guidelines. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed the presence of insects, rodents, or other pests; Person in charge (PIC) advised to consult with a licensed pest contractor regarding integrated pest control management. |
Associated Facilities
The following facilities are located on these grounds:
- ARRENDALE PROBATION SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT CENTER (RSAT Center)