HANCOCK STATE PRISON

Last updated August 23, 2026.(DS)

A Close-Security Prison Operating at the Edge of Control

Hancock State Prison in Sparta, Hancock County, opened in 1991 as a close-security men's facility. It houses many of the state's highest-risk prisoners under Tier I and Tier II close-custody management, with multiple segregation and isolation units and an annex area alongside dormitory housing. The facility's original design capacity was 750; its current rated capacity is 1,191, and GPS records show a population of 1,177 — 98.8% of rated capacity, but 57% above what the facility was originally built to hold. Warden George Ivey leads a command staff that includes Deputy Warden of Security Tamikia Nicole Mahoney, Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment Rashedah Fayola Mitchell, and Deputy Warden of Administration Chequita Adams.

GPS's mortality database records 26 deaths at Hancock State Prison since tracking began in January 2020. Seventeen of those deaths are classified as homicide. Six remain unknown or pending. Two are listed as natural or medical. The most recent recorded deaths include Jacorey Derrelle Pearson, 36, on April 7, 2026; Jerrod Johnson, 27, on February 18, 2026; Jaylin Bell, 32, on February 6, 2026; Steven Monroe Wood, 54, on January 25, 2026; and Andre Rashad Weems, 36, on September 9, 2025 — all classified as homicides. These are floors, not ceilings: GDC reports deaths approximately two months late, and GPS treats every count as a minimum.

A Staffing Collapse That Predates the Violence

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Hancock State Prison has one of the highest correctional officer vacancy rates in the GDC system, with 73.5% of positions vacant as of October 2024 — leaving only 49 officers on staff for over 1,100 prisoners. A separate AJC report put the figure at more than 70% vacant as of October 2024. These numbers sit inside a systemic pattern GPS has documented: officer vacancies across Georgia's prisons have run between 49.3% and 60% systemwide for multiple years, against a national standard of no more than 10%. The October 2024 DOJ findings letter explicitly 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."

Consultants found that staffing vacancies at 20 of Georgia's 34 prisons reached "emergency levels," making it impossible to maintain basic protocols, and that broken cell locks at many prisons allow prisoners to roam and gang members to intimidate other inmates. Gov. Brian Kemp proposed allocating an additional $600 million over 18 months to address staffing, emergency repairs, and infrastructure improvements, citing those consultants' findings. At Hancock specifically, the staffing deficit has coincided with a documented pattern of violence that GPS's own reporting and the AJC's coverage both tie directly to the facility's inability to control its housing units.

The Death Toll: A Named Pattern of Homicide

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has documented a series of killings at Hancock State Prison stretching back to 2020. Cesar Arnold Pastrana Morales, 33, died on March 13, 2020, from a stab wound to the chest; an incident report shows five other inmates were involved. Rashad Bolton, 29, died on January 4, 2021, from a puncture wound to the chest with a sharp object; his parents filed a lawsuit claiming he was stabbed to death. Dwayne Zackery Jr., 22, died on February 12, 2021, from a stab wound to the chest with a homemade knife; death data states he was stabbed by his cellmate. Terry Lee Bishop, 49, died on October 18, 2022, from blunt force trauma, acute toxicity of methamphetamine, and acute toxicity of cannabinoids; death data show he was beaten to death by another prisoner. Norman Samples, 59, died on December 27, 2022, from blunt force injuries to the head and torso.

The pace continued. Roland Lamont Phillips, 33, died on June 28, 2023, from multiple sharp force injuries including 11 puncture wounds to the front torso and one to the neck; a murder warrant was served against his cellmate. Francisco Zaldivar Melgar-Saldivar, 26, died on August 12, 2023, from strangulation and blunt force injuries; a claim filed against the state alleges he was not provided appropriate medical care after being attacked by another prisoner. Travon Walthour, 29, was killed on October 13, 2024; four other prisoners were involved in his death according to GDC incident report data. In September 2024, seven prisoners were disciplined for attacking an inmate in a gang-related assault, according to records obtained by the AJC.

The McKee Killing and the DOJ's Findings

The killing of Charles "Tristen" James McKee, 24, on May 23, 2022, became a focal point for federal scrutiny of Hancock State Prison. McKee, who identified as LGBTQ, was stabbed 13 times in the back and head. The U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that McKee tried to escape gang members who were beating and stabbing him by jumping through stair railings to the floor below, but the gang members continued to stab him there; another prisoner trying to stop the attack was seriously wounded. A lawsuit alleges McKee was placed in a dorm with known gang members who were hostile to LGBTQ inmates, contributing to his death. The AJC reported that staff failed to act on McKee's repeated requests to be moved the day before he was murdered, requests in which he stated his life was in danger.

A Hancock County jury convicted prisoner Cleveland Gary in the slaying; Gary struck McKee six times in the head with a 17-inch homemade machete after a fight had already ended. The State of Georgia paid a liability settlement of $424,710 tied to the McKee death, according to the GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger obtained through open records. The state also paid $437,500 tied to the Rashad Bolton death, $600,000 tied to Geberyesus Yemane Selassie (2019), $13,800 tied to Freedie Barnes (2016), $250 tied to Rico Sterling (2016), and $2,000 tied to Michael Bolick (2015) — all at Hancock State Prison.

Gang Violence as a Structural Condition

In January 2025, two prisoners at Hancock State Prison were found dead just feet apart after an incident described as gang-related violence. William Holeman, 34, and Prince Porter, 38, were found dead in the same dorm about 15–20 feet apart. Porter had a single puncture wound in his upper back; Holeman had no visible marks. A third prisoner was hospitalized as a result of the same violence. The AJC reported that gang-related violence at Hancock resulted in two prisoner deaths, with the coroner leaning toward homicide in at least one case.

The June 2025 killing of Corey July, 34, followed a pattern that GPS has described in its reporting: July was chased across the prison yard and cornered at a locked gate, where Vershaun Smith stabbed him multiple times. A Hancock County jury convicted Smith of malice murder; Judge Alison T. Burleson sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Smith chasing July, cornering him at the locked gate, and stabbing him repeatedly. The original incident occurred on June 17, 2025.

GPS's systemic findings place Hancock inside a statewide pattern: approximately 31% of the system's roughly 49,000 incarcerated people are validated members of 315 different security threat groups — more than double the national average. The DOJ and the Guidehouse 2024 consultant assessment independently concluded that gangs effectively run multiple Georgia facilities, controlling access to phones, showers, food, and bed assignments. GPS has documented a Blood-on-Blood factional war between ROLACC and G-Shine sets that erupted in coordinated violence across the system in April 2026, with at least 12 prisons locked down and stabbings at five facilities.

The 2026 Deaths and the Statewide Lockdown

The first months of 2026 brought a renewed wave of deaths at Hancock. Steven Monroe Wood, 54, serving life with possibility of parole for a murder conviction out of Cherokee County, died on January 25, 2026, after an altercation with another inmate. Jaylin Bell, 32, died on February 6, 2026, following an altercation with his roommate. Jerrod Johnson, 27, died on February 18, 2026. Jacorey Derrelle Pearson, 36, died on April 7, 2026. The GDC Office of Professional Standards opened investigations into the deaths of Wood, Bell, and Pearson, which the GDC described as standard procedure. The causes of death for Bell and Pearson were not released at the time of reporting; their bodies were turned over to the county coroner for transport to the GBI crime lab.

A fourth inmate death was reported at Hancock State Prison in 2026, followed by a statewide lockdown after a gang-related altercation at Smith State Prison. GPS records show six assault-by-inmate-alleged signals at Hancock over the 12 months ending August 2026, spanning January through August, at critical and high severity, with the U.S. Department of Justice named as an external entity in the signal record. Inmate accounts collected by GPS describe a pattern of mass violence at the facility, including multiple stabbings in a single incident and an air ambulance response. GPS has received accounts of use of force by the IRT team at Hancock, including reports of a prisoner being bounced off tables and doors and transported to an unknown location afterward. These are receipt-acknowledgments, not verified findings; GPS records them as reports received.

Infrastructure Failure and the Annex

Family accounts collected by GPS describe the Hancock State Prison Annex as a metal building lacking insulation and ventilation, with interior temperatures reported above 105°F. One family member reported that the HVAC system was turned on for an inspection and then immediately shut off afterward; another alleged the HVAC systems were not functioning in 2026. These accounts sit inside a systemic pattern GPS has documented: most GDC facilities are 30–40+ years old, with deferred maintenance producing broken cell-door locks, inoperative surveillance and fire-alarm systems, mold and water failures, broken kitchen sanitization equipment, and pest infestations. The DOJ October 2024 findings, the Guidehouse 2024 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 it has documented at the facility level.

Food Safety Scores and the Limits of Inspection

The Georgia Department of Public Health conducted routine food-safety inspections at Hancock State Prison throughout 2023–2025, and the scores were consistently high: 100 (Grade A) on October 13, 2023 (two inspections), 100 and 93 (Grade A) on June 25, 2024, 100 (Grade A) on December 31, 2024 (two inspections), 96 and 100 (Grade A) on May 27, 2025, and 100 (Grade A) on December 18, 2025 (two inspections). The 93-score inspection cited two violations: proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco use, and personal cleanliness. The 96-score inspection cited one violation: food-contact surfaces cleaned and sanitized.

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, GPS's reporting explains, 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. High DPH scores at GDC facilities coexist with sustained witness reports of equipment failure and food contamination. GDC spends approximately $1.69 per person per day on food (2024), under 60 cents per meal, versus the FDA Thrifty Food Plan estimate of roughly $10 per day for an adult man's nutritionally adequate diet. The Marshall Project independently corroborated the pattern in May 2026, reporting rats in kitchens, insects in food, moldy trays, and visible malnutrition across Georgia facilities.

Classification Drift and the Medium-Security Crisis

Hancock State Prison is a close-security facility, but GPS's systemic findings document a broader pattern of classification drift across the GDC system: medium-security facilities housing close-security inmates without adequate staffing and infrastructure. GPS has published reporting on this pattern, including a report titled "The Classification Crisis: How Four Medium Security Prisons Are Killing People." The facility's own profile notes that it houses many of the state's highest-risk prisoners under Tier I and Tier II close-custody management. A group of individuals serving life sentences was reportedly transferred to Hancock State Prison in 2024, according to GPS records. GPS has documented that John Morgan Coleman, age 82, a lifer, was transferred from medium-security to close-security at Hancock State Prison.

The systemic context is stark. GPS has documented that prison homicides in Georgia surged from 8–9 annually in 2017–2018 to 37 in 2023 and 100 in 2024, with 333 total deaths in GDC custody in 2024 — the deadliest year in state history. The DOJ investigation found Georgia's in-prison homicide rate nearly eight times the national average. GPS has independently tracked 1,863 deaths in GDC custody since 2020.

Staff Accountability and Contraband

In January 2019, Hancock State Prison officer Jasmine Nicole Hall was caught with water bottles containing compartments filled with meth, pot, ecstasy, and hydrocodone; phone evidence revealed an ongoing drug distribution scheme across eight prisons totaling over $5,000 in transactions. The AJC reported that short-staffing, safety problems, and corruption inside Georgia's prisons have allowed prisoners to operate large criminal enterprises from their cells, with 28 major drug-trafficking cases filed between 2015 and 2024. Federal prosecutors announced charges in January 2025 against dozens of people for conspiring to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, and marijuana, including inmates at Wilcox, Telfair, Macon state prisons, Georgia Diagnostic and Correctional Prison, and Wheeler and Jenkins correctional facilities — a network that did not include Hancock but illustrates the systemic contraband economy that Hancock's staffing deficit feeds into.

A Note on What GPS Has Received but Not Verified

GPS has received accounts of a stabbing incident in the visitation area at Hancock State Prison in 2026, with multiple parties seeking confirmation. GPS has received reports of an incident at Hancock in 2026 that occurred during a multi-facility lockdown. GPS has received accounts of an incarcerated person held in solitary confinement for six or more weeks with no communication access. These are receipt-acknowledgments. GPS does not run individual investigations on each report; it receives reports and waits for corroborating evidence to surface.

Sources

This analysis draws on reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 41NBC, and GDC public statements; Georgia Department of Public Health food-safety inspection records; GA DOAS Risk Management settlement ledgers obtained through open records; U.S. Department of Justice findings; Hancock County court records; GPS's own mortality database and systemic findings; and inmate and family accounts collected by GPS staff.