HAYS STATE PRISON
Facility Information
- Original Design Capacity
- 640 (at 171% capacity)
- Bed Capacity
- 1,101 beds
- Current Population
- 1,097
- Active Lifers
- 320 (29.2% of population) · Apr 2026 GDC report
- Life Without Parole
- 264 (24.1%)
Read: Brown v. Plata - A Legal Roadmap for Georgia's Prison Crisis →
- Address
- 777 Underwood Road, Trion, GA 30753
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 668, Trion, GA 30753
- County
- Chattooga County
- Opened
- 1990
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- Joshua Jones
- Phone
- (706) 857-0400
- Fax
- (706) 857-0624
- Staff
- Deputy Warden Security: Christopher McAlister
- Deputy Warden Security: Gabriel IIa
- Deputy Warden C&T: Alisa Hammock
- Deputy Warden Admin: Jonathan Swinford
About
Hays State Prison in Trion is a close-security men’s facility that the Department describes as housing some of the state’s “most challenging offenders.” Opened in 1990, it includes several general-population dorms, a Fast Track unit, multiple Tier II special-management dorms, an outside fire station and infirmary, and large numbers of Level-II mental-health beds. Hays has been the site of numerous homicides and assaults, and has been repeatedly cited for failures in lock security, staffing, and protection of prisoners in so-called protective custody.
Mortality Statistics
37 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 4
- 2025: 5
- 2024: 9
- 2023: 5
- 2022: 8
- 2021: 3
- 2020: 3
County Public Health Department
Food service and sanitation at HAYS STATE PRISON fall under the jurisdiction of the Chattooga 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 County Manager
- Name
- Rashelle Eubanks
- Address
-
60 Farrar Dr.
Summerville, GA 30747 - Phone
- (706) 857-3471
- Rashelle.Eubanks@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 HAYS STATE PRISON
Dear Rashelle Eubanks,
I am writing to respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough, unannounced inspection of food service and sanitation practices at HAYS STATE PRISON, located in Chattooga 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2025 | 92 | Routine | |
| May 7, 2025 | 87 | Routine | |
| Jul 19, 2024 | 91 | Routine | |
| Dec 27, 2023 | 83 | Routine | |
| Aug 29, 2023 | 84 | Routine |
November 18, 2025 — Score 92
Routine · Inspector: Rashelle Eubanks
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2B |
proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco use 511-6-1.03(5)(k)1&2 - eating, drinking, or using tobacco (c) | 4 | OBSERVED EMPLOYEE EATING WHILE IN KITCHEN PREPARING FOOD. CA: EMPLOYEE CAN CONSUME FOOD ONLY IN APPROVED DESIGNATED AREA SEPARATE FROM FOOD PREPARATION AREA. COS: EMPLOYEE MOVED OUTSIDE OF THE KITCHEN/FOOD PREP AREA TO FINISH CONSUMING HIS MEAL. |
| 2B |
food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized 511-6-1.05(6)(n) - manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization-temperature, ph, concentration, hardness (p,pf) | 4 | OBSERVED EMPLOYEE WASHING DISHES IN THREE-COMPARTMENT SINK WITH CONCENTRATION READING O-PPM FOR SANITIZER SOLUTION. CA: EMPLOYEE PUT CORRECT CONCENTRATION OF SANITIZER SOLUTION IN THREE-COMPARTMENT SINK. |
May 7, 2025 — Score 87
Routine · Inspector: Kristen Bradford
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed chicken stored on ovens reading at 110F. CA: Had CFSM reheat chicken to 165F and store in hot holding unit. |
| 2 |
proper date marking and disposition 511-6-1.04(6)(g) - ready-to-eat time/temperature control for safety food, date marking (pf) Corrected | 4 | Observed multiple ready to eat TCS food items (lentils, burger, green beans, potatoes) stored in the walk in cooler longer than 24 hours with no date labels. CA: CFSM discarded items. |
July 19, 2024 — Score 91
Routine · Inspector: Victor Abercrombie
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D |
adequate handwashing facilities supplied & accessible 511-6-1.07(3)(a) - handwashing cleanser, availability (pf) | 4 | Observed no soap or dispenser at main handsink in middle of kitchen. CA: Manager will have soap and dispenser installed. |
| 11A |
proper cooling methods used: adequate equipment for temperature control 511-6-1.05(3)(a) - cooling, heating, and holding capacities (pf) Corrected | 3 | Observed food in reach in cooler in back right of facility being left open and food holding around 48 degrees. CA: Cooler to be left closed and food monitored to ensure held at 41 degrees faren. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(2)(b) - floor, walls, & ceiling, cleanability; utility lines (c) Repeat | 1 | Observed severe damage on floors, walls and ceiling. CA: Remodel is scheduled to take place. |
December 27, 2023 — Score 83
Routine · Inspector: Tiffany Schrader
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2D |
adequate handwashing facilities supplied & accessible 511-6-1.07(3)(b) - hand drying provision (pf) Corrected | 4 | Hand drying provision needed at handwash sink/ Hot water required at all handwash sinks/Advised discontinue use until corrected utilize other sinks |
| 1A |
proper cold holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; cold holding (p) Corrected Repeat | 9 | Observed potentially hazardous food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit./food moved to freezer to cool quickly. |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) Repeat | 1 | floors need serious repairs/ large holes in floors. |
August 29, 2023 — Score 84
Routine · Inspector: Tiffany Schrader
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2B |
food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized 511-6-1.05(6)(n) - manual and mechanical warewashing equipment, chemical sanitization-temperature, ph, concentration, hardness (p,pf) Corrected Repeat | 4 | Hot water sanitizing dishmachine final rinse not reaching proper temperature at manifold./chemical sanitization utilized until dishmachine is serviced |
| 1A |
proper cold holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; cold holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed potentially hazardous food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit./Food was removed from warehouse walkin and placed in walkin freezer to cool quickly then moved to main kitchen walkin / Milk was to be relocated to the middle of the cooler for better air flow in the walk in since all other temperatures were with in range |
| 1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Cooked vegetables not held at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above./ Food was reheated to 165 and then held in oven |
| 17C |
physical facilities installed, maintained, and clean 511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b) - good repair, physical facilities maintained; cleaning, frequency & restrictions, cleaned often enough to keep them clean (c) | 1 | Floors and ceiling need serious repairs/leaks from ceiling and large holes in floors and ceiling. |