GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON

State Prison Close Security GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections) Male

Facility Information

Original Design Capacity
800 (at 568% capacity)
Bed Capacity
2,487 beds
Current Population
4,540
Why design capacity matters: Adding beds to a prison does not increase medical facilities, educational programs, kitchen capacity, counseling services, or recreation areas. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Plata that severe overcrowding beyond design capacity violates the 8th Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Read: Brown v. Plata - A Legal Roadmap for Georgia's Prison Crisis →
Address
2978 Hwy 36 West, Jackson, GA 30233
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233
County
Butts County
Opened
1968
Operator
GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
Warden
Jacob Beasley
Phone
(770) 504-2000
Fax
(770) 504-2006
Staff
  • Deputy Warden Security: Nicholas Brown
  • Deputy Warden Security: Reginald Clark
  • Deputy Warden C&T: Terrion Thurman
  • Deputy Warden Diagnostic: Crystal Hughes-Whiters
  • Deputy Warden Admin: Tandra Rogers

Special Designations

  • Death Row
  • Medical Hub
  • Mental Health Services
  • Protective Custody Unit
  • Administrative Segregation

About

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (GDCP) in Jackson is the state’s largest prison and central intake facility for men. Built in 1968 and renovated in 1998, it processes all male offenders entering the system, houses Georgia’s male death-row unit, operates a 192-bed Special Management Unit for the most restrictive custody, and conducts state-ordered executions. Housing includes eight cellblocks with single- and double-bunked cells, seven general-population dormitories, a 17-bed Segregated Transition Education Program (STEP) unit, and a medical unit. GDCP also maintains a CERT Team, Tactical Squad, and on-site fire station, making it both a diagnostic center and one of the system’s highest-security prisons.

Mortality Statistics

113 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.

Deaths by Year

  • 2026: 0
  • 2025: 11
  • 2024: 22
  • 2023: 24
  • 2022: 20
  • 2021: 15
  • 2020: 21

View all deaths at this facility →