COASTAL STATE PRISON

Last updated September 13, 2026.(DS)

Coastal State Prison: A Medium-Security Hub Under Sustained Pressure

Coastal State Prison sits in Port Wentworth, Chatham County, near Savannah — a medium-security men's facility that opened in 1981 and was renovated in 1999. Its physical plant comprises 12 housing units: six cellblocks with a mix of two-man and four-man cells, four open-bay dormitories, one unit housing Faith & Character and incentive-program participants, a 74-bed segregation unit, and a small infirmary. Coastal also operates an abbreviated diagnostic intake unit and maintains a tactical squad, positioning it as a hub for both housing and system-wide security operations. The facility holds 1,633 people against a rated capacity of 1,836 — 88.9% of rated capacity, but nearly four times its original design capacity of 420. David Stokes became warden on June 1, 2026, following his reassignment from Central State Prison by Commissioner Tyrone Oliver; Deputy Wardens Briana Kaigler (since January 2022) and Karen Ruth Finch (since August 2024) round out the leadership team.

What follows is a record in which the state's own inspection data, federal findings, GPS's mortality tracking, and the accounts of people held at Coastal converge on a single conclusion: the facility is failing the people confined there, and the failures are structural rather than incidental.

134 Deaths, Five Homicides, and a Cause-of-Death Void

GPS's mortality database records 134 deaths at Coastal State Prison since 2020 — a count GPS treats as a floor, because GDC reports deaths approximately two months late. Of those, 32 are classified as natural or medical, five as homicides, three as "other," and 94 remain unknown or pending. That last category is itself a finding: it means the state has not publicly established a cause of death for roughly seven in ten people who died at Coastal over the past six years.

The most recent recorded deaths include Sheldon Leroy Burns on August 30, 2026 (natural/medical); Phillip Alexander George, 66, on July 16, 2026; Corey Marcel Mitchell, 50, on July 15, 2026; and Bobby Clinton Biggs, 77, on June 25, 2026 — the latter three with causes still listed as unknown or pending.

The homicides tell a more specific story. Kion E. Parks, 31, died on September 14, 2021 from stab wounds; an incident report shows five other prisoners were involved, and a lawsuit alleges five inmates stabbed him to death. Rufus Ramon Lee, 27, died on December 14, 2021 from a stab wound to the chest; four other prisoners were involved and four were indicted. A lawsuit filed by Lee's mother alleges that a broken cell lock allowed assailants from other cells and dorms to reach and kill him — an allegation that ties the violence directly to the infrastructure failures documented elsewhere in this record. Salomon Andres Ramirez, 43, died on October 20, 2023 in what GDC classified as an apparent homicide. Ryan Chase Archer, 25, died on December 13, 2023 from a stab wound to the chest after a fight with other prisoners; he was due for release in 2024. Raymond Littles, 49, died on April 16, 2024 in an incident classified as a homicide, with another prisoner disciplined.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported these deaths through its homicide-tracking coverage. In early 2026 the pace accelerated: WTOC confirmed a second death within one week on February 26, and GDC confirmed two inmates died on the same day on March 3. GPS's mortality records identify those two as Anteveis Brown, 49, and Aiden Snapp, 21, both classified as homicides, both dying on February 26, 2026. Richard Parks, 62, died on February 21, 2026; Terry Kendall, 67, died on February 27, 2026. At least eight deaths were recorded at Coastal between January 13 and March 3, 2026.

A March 2020 assault at Coastal State Prison was forwarded for investigation, WALB reported, but no records of such an investigation exist. The same individual later strangled a cellmate to death at another prison — a continuity between an uninvestigated assault at Coastal and a killing elsewhere in the system.

The April 2026 Inspection: A Grade C, and What Scores Cannot See

On April 23, 2026, the Georgia Department of Public Health inspected Coastal State Prison's kitchen and issued a score of 70 — a Grade C, the lowest of the six inspections on record. The Georgia Virtue reported the findings in detail: live flies and roaches in the kitchen, a dead mouse floating in backed-up mop water in the mess hall dishpit, mold-like growth on ceiling tiles throughout the entire kitchen area, peeling and missing ceiling tiles, fish at 122°F and chicken at 98°F sitting on the counter — both below the required 135°F hot holding temperature — and no sanitizer in the three-compartment sink while inmates were actively washing dishes. Inspectors also found a mildew-like buildup inside the ice machine, exit doors with large gaps underneath allowing entry of insects and rodents, multiple plumbing failures including a leaking pipe and a sink where hot water could not be turned on or off, and a person in charge who failed to ensure safe food handling practices. The facility was given until May 3 to correct the issues.

The 70 continued a documented decline: 84 in October 2023, 87 in February 2025, 80 in October 2025, and 70 in April 2026. A subsequent routine inspection on July 27, 2026 produced a score of 98 (Grade A) with a single violation cited for warewashing facilities. GPS's systemic findings caution against reading any of these scores — high or low — as a complete picture of what reaches the tray. GPS has documented a systemic pattern of food-service sanitation failure across GDC kitchens that DPH inspection scores systematically fail to capture: tray-sanitizing dishwashers broken for sustained periods, sustained roach and rodent infestation in kitchen and serving areas, and meals served on visibly contaminated trays. The pattern is hidden from DPH scores because inspections are scheduled walkthroughs that do not assess equipment under load, and because GPS has documented professional overlap between inspectors and facility staff in small-county settings. At Coastal specifically, a resident's account of contaminated trays — corroborated by The Marshall Project's May 16, 2026 investigation of Georgia prison food — sits alongside scores that, until April 2026, graded the kitchen a B. The contradiction is the analytical center of GPS's investigation "Dunked, Stacked, and Served."

GDC spends approximately $1.69 per person per day on food, against an FDA Thrifty Food Plan estimate of roughly $10 per day for an adult man's nutritionally adequate diet. The Marshall Project independently reported rats in kitchens, insects in food, moldy trays, and visible malnutrition across Georgia facilities, quoting GPS connecting chronic underfeeding to the violence pattern the DOJ documented in October 2024. WTOC reported that staff at Coastal are alleged to withhold food from inmates as punishment, including not waking sleeping inmates for meal calls and then denying them food. GPS records show eight sanitation-failure signals and five food-quality complaints at Coastal in the twelve months through mid-2026, concentrated in February through May, and multiple accounts describe kitchen closures for pest extermination that left some people without a meal.

Broken Locks, Black Mold, and Inoperable Climate Control

The lawsuit over Rufus Ramon Lee's death alleges that a broken cell lock allowed his killers to reach him. That allegation sits inside a documented systemic pattern: GPS has found that most GDC facilities are 30-40+ years old, with deferred maintenance producing broken cell-door locks — a Hays 2012 audit found approximately 42% non-functional, confirmed by Guidehouse in 2024 — inoperative surveillance and fire-alarm systems, mold and water failures, broken kitchen sanitization equipment, and pest infestations. The DOJ's October 2024 findings, the Guidehouse assessment, and Commissioner Oliver's public "end of life" statements all corroborate the pattern. GPS treats infrastructure collapse as a force multiplier for the violence, classification, gang-control, and mortality crises documented at the facility level.

At Coastal, the evidence is specific. WTOC reported that workers described crumbling infrastructure and unsanitary conditions including black mold throughout housing units, rat and mice infestations, and frequent air conditioning and heating failures. WTOC Investigates obtained maintenance records from Coastal covering May to November 2025 showing over $5,000 spent on pest control; the Department of Corrections said it has no records related to mold remediation. The Georgia Virtue's April 2026 inspection coverage documented exit doors with gaps allowing entry of insects and rodents, mold-like growth on ceiling tiles throughout the kitchen, and multiple plumbing failures. GPS has received recurring family reports of inoperable air conditioning for months at a time, fans used as a substitute, and incarcerated people suffering heat exhaustion and breathing difficulties. GPS records show three inadequate-climate signals at high severity in the twelve months through mid-2026.

Staffing Collapse, Lockdowns, and the DOJ's Constitutional Finding

The October 2024 DOJ findings letter concluded that "the leadership of the Georgia Department of Corrections has lost control of its facilities" and faulted GDC for placing "too much blame on gangs and insufficient emphasis on understaffing." Officer vacancies in Georgia's prisons have run between 49.3% and 60% systemwide for multiple years, against a national standard of no more than 10%; Georgia ranks last of 50 states for correctional-officer pay, and 82.7% of new hires leave in their first year. Approximately 31% of the system's ~49,000 incarcerated population are validated members of 315 different security threat groups — more than double the national average. DOJ and the Guidehouse 2024 consultant assessment independently concluded that gangs effectively run multiple facilities, controlling access to phones, showers, food, and bed assignments.

At Coastal, the consequences are documented. WTOC reported that GDC records show no correctional officers were disciplined for violence against inmates over a six-month period in 2025, despite employees saying such violence is a common occurrence. Some correctional officers are alleged to brutally beat inmates regularly, with one employee reporting hearing screams during their walk to work caused by someone being beaten. Inmates were subjected to lockdowns lasting seven to ten days without shower access, and the DOJ report criticized Georgia prisons including Coastal State for overusing lockdowns and isolation, particularly on victims of sexual abuse. Lockdowns at Coastal prevent inmates from attending classes and programs needed to earn Performance Incentive Credits for early parole eligibility, WTOC reported. A Coastal State Prison employee was arrested in January 2026 and charged with trading with inmates without the consent of the warden or superintendent. Five inmates were indicted in October 2025 for a violent assault at the facility.

A federal judge in Georgia's Middle District scolded Commissioner Tyrone Oliver for "failure to comply with court orders" and asked whether the GDC "deems itself above the law," WTOC reported in February 2026. GPS records show seven staff-misconduct signals — three at critical or high severity — and four staffing-shortage signals in the twelve months through mid-2026.

Medical Neglect and the Cost Documented in the Settlement Ledger

GPS has received recurring family reports of medical neglect at Coastal State Prison: prescribed medications abruptly discontinued, including pain medication and diabetes medication; staff telling an incarcerated person they no longer had a diabetes diagnosis; blood sugar levels left unmonitored; medical staff unavailable on weekends; waits of 35 to 50 minutes for medical help; and prescribed medical devices withheld. One family member reported that an incarcerated person with a history of cancer and diabetes had medications discontinued abruptly, required medical equipment withheld, and blood sugar levels left unmonitored. Another reported that an incarcerated person did not receive antibiotics or medication to prevent infection after a tooth removal. GPS records show six medical-neglect signals at critical, high, and moderate severity in the twelve months through mid-2026.

The state's own settlement ledger documents the financial cost of these failures. The GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger, obtained through open records, records a $600,000 payout tied to Coastal State Prison for a 2022 incident involving Dennis Carpenter — linked to a documented death record — a $200,000 payout for a 2019 incident involving Joel Greene, a $115,000 payout for a 2011 incident involving Milton Ross, a $50,000 payout for a 2016 incident involving Cager Maleeah, and an $8,000 payout for a 2023 incident involving Ronald Ray Agan.

Disability, Segregation, and the Failure of Accommodation

GPS has received multiple reports concerning the housing of mobility-impaired incarcerated people at Coastal State Prison. An unverified single-source social-media tip received by GPS on May 9, 2026 alleges that on May 8, 2026, staff moved an elderly wheelchair-using inmate from a downstairs accessible segregation cell to an upstairs inaccessible segregation cell, with two other inmates carrying the man and his chair up the stairs while a corrections officer watched. GPS has not corroborated the account; the subject's identity, the officer's identity, and the basis for the segregation placement were not provided. Additional tips and family reports describe a consistent concern: a wheelchair-dependent person housed in an upstairs segregation unit, staff present while incarcerated people assisted a mobility-impaired person navigate stairs without intervention, and a person with a mobility disability housed in segregation due to disability status rather than for disciplinary reasons. GPS records show four due-process-violation signals at high and moderate severity in the twelve months through mid-2026.

The Wider System: Washington State Prison and the Gang War

The violence at Coastal State Prison does not occur in isolation. On January 11, 2026, a gang-war riot at Washington State Prison — a separate facility elsewhere in the system — killed three people at the scene: Teddy Jackson, 27; Ahmod Hatcher, 23; and Jimmy Trammell, 42, who was days from release. A fourth, Silas Westbrook, 42, died of his injuries on January 17 after hospital release. A fifth death, that of Dajhmere Hall, 30, occurred on January 9, two days before the riot. Twelve inmates were charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and gang participation in April 2026. Washington State Prison remained on continuous lockdown for more than five months after the riot. The DOJ found Georgia's in-prison homicide rate nearly eight times the national average, with 333 total deaths in GDC custody in 2024 — the deadliest year in state history. GPS has independently tracked 1,890 deaths in GDC custody since 2020.

The systemic finding that connects Washington State Prison to Coastal State Prison is the staffing collapse: DOJ confirmed Georgia prisons are dangerously understaffed, with as few as 1-3 officers supervising 1,500-1,800 prisoners at night and on weekends. Tyler Ryals, a former GDC sergeant forced out in 2024 after whistleblowing, told GPS he had personally been the only security person on the entire Telfair compound of approximately 1,250 maximum-security inmates. The same dynamic — empty posts, broken locks, and gang assumption of facility control — is the structural finding that explains the per-facility violence, classification, mortality, and infrastructure-failure narratives GPS has documented at Coastal State Prison.

Sources

This analysis draws on reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WTOC, The Georgia Virtue, WALB, and The Marshall Project; Georgia Department of Public Health inspection records; the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger obtained through open records; federal court findings including the October 2024 DOJ findings letter; GPS's mortality database and intelligence records; and inmate and family accounts collected by GPS staff. GPS's systemic findings on food-service sanitation, staffing collapse, infrastructure failure, and sexual violence draw on the DOJ findings letter, the Guidehouse 2024 assessment, and GPS's own investigative reporting, including "Dunked, Stacked, and Served."