McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY
Facility Information
- Original Design Capacity
- 1,978
- Bed Capacity
- 2,275 beds
- Current Population
- 1,224
- Active Lifers
- 146 (11.9% of population) · May 2026 GDC report
- Life Without Parole
- 35 (2.9%)
- Address
- 112 Jim Hammock Drive, McRae-Helena, GA 31005
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 55478, McRae-Helena, GA 31005
- County
- Telfair County
- Opened
- 2020
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- Jody Yancey
- Phone
- (229) 212-5100
- Fax
- (229) 212-5202
- Staff
- Special Assistant: Melvin Butts
- Deputy Warden Security: Shameka Lilliott
- Deputy Warden Admin: Heather Dykes
About
GPS facility profile for McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY. Population: 1,224. 2 deaths tracked.
Leadership & Accountability (as of 2026 records)
Officials currently holding positional authority at this facility, with deaths attributed to GPS-tracked records during their leadership tenure. Inclusion reflects role-based accountability, not legal findings of personal culpability. Death counts shown as facility / career.
| Role | Name | Since | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warden (facility lead) | Yancey, Jody LEE | 2025-01-16 | 2 / 12 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | MacK, Carnesia Renee | 2026-04-16 | — / — |
| Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (facility deputy) | Miller, Wendy | 2026-01-16 | 1 / 1 |
| Deputy Warden of Administration (facility deputy) | Dykes, Heather | 2025-08-16 | 1 / 1 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Butts, Melvin | 2025-01-01 | 2 / 2 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Lilliott, Shameka | 2025-01-01 | 2 / 2 |
Key Facts
- Jan. 2026 GPS documented denial of adequate meals and sick call access due to inability to pay at McRae Women's Facility diagnostic unit
- Chronic Kidney Disease Women with chronic kidney disease at McRae reportedly unable to receive necessary treatment, raising medical neglect concerns
- 1,795 Total deaths tracked by GPS across GDC system since 2020 — cause of death withheld by GDC; GPS classifies independently
- 95 deaths GPS-tracked GDC deaths in 2026 as of May 3, including 27 confirmed homicides and 56 unknown/pending
- $12.5M Court-ordered GDC restitution for theft and fraud (January 2024)
- 1,243 Incarcerated people across GDC classified as having poorly controlled health conditions as of May 2026
By the Numbers
- 29 Confirmed Homicides in 2026
- 301 Deaths in 2025 (GPS tracked)
- 45 In Mental Health Crisis
- 2,530 Waiting in Jail (Backlog)
- 8,108 In Private Prisons
- 4,771 Drug Offenders (8.93%)
Mortality Statistics
2 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 1
- 2025: 1
- 2024: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2021: 0
- 2020: 0
County Public Health Department
Food service and sanitation at McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY fall under the jurisdiction of the Telfair 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 Specialist
- Name
- Victoria Thornton
- Address
-
P.O. Box 55328
McRae, GA 31055 - Phone
- (229) 868-7404
- Victoria.Thornton@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.
May 16, 2026
RE: Request for Unannounced Public Health Inspection of Food Service Operations at McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY
Dear Victoria Thornton,
I am writing to respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough, unannounced inspection of food service and sanitation practices at McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY, located in Telfair 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2026 | 93 | Routine | |
| Jul 29, 2025 | 85 | Routine | |
| Feb 25, 2025 | 94 | Routine | |
| Jan 7, 2025 | 100 | Initial | |
| Aug 27, 2024 | 100 | Initial |
February 24, 2026 — Score 93
Routine · Inspector: Victoria Thornton
| 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) Corrected | 4 | Observed multiple open beverages and several food workers drinking from open beverages in food preparation areas. Cups must be in a lid and straw in food preparation areas. COS - Drinks removed. |
| 12B |
personal cleanliness 511-6-1.03(5)(g) - jewelry (c) | 3 | Observed multiple food workers wearing bracelets while preparing food. CA: No jewelry other than a plain wedding band may be worn. |
July 29, 2025 — Score 85
Routine · Inspector: Victoria Thornton
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized Corrected Repeat | 4 | Observed chlorine sanitizer at the 3-compartment sink not at a proper minimum strength for manual warewashing. COS - PIC added chlorine to the sink to reach correct concentration. |
| 1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed chicken off the staff dining hot bar temperature at 129F. Time/temperature control for safety food must be hot held at 135F or above. COS - Chicken was rapidly reheated to 179F hot hot holding. |
February 25, 2025 — Score 94
Routine · Inspector: Victoria Thornton
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2A |
food stored covered 511-6-1.04(4)(c)1(iv) - packaged & unpackaged food, food stored covered(c) Corrected | 4 | Rice and beans stored open in dry storage; food must be stored covered. COS - Food covered at time of inspection. |
| 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 | 4 | Observed chlorine sanitizer at the 3-compartment sink not at a proper minimum strength for manual warewashing. COS - I went over using chlorine with the staff at time of inspection. |
| 16B |
plumbing installed; proper backflow devices 511-6-1.06(2)(r) - system maintained in good repair (p, c) | 2 | Handwash sink near the walk-in cooler is holding water. The rinse compartment in the 3-compartment sink is leaking. All plumbing shall be in good repair. |
January 7, 2025 — Score 100
Initial · Inspector: Victoria Thornton
No violations recorded for this inspection.
August 27, 2024 — Score 100
Initial · Inspector: Victoria Thornton
No violations recorded for this inspection.
Recent reports (1)
Source-attributed observations and allegations from news coverage and reports submitted to GPS. Each entry credits its source.
- READER REPORT Submitted via GPS public submission form Recorded by GPS: Jan 5, 2026PATTERN — McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY: The women are frequently not being fed. Everyone needs to eat, this just isn\'t right! Also, during the…Read source →
No public claims yet meet the synthesis threshold for this topic. The intelligence team is reviewing source records.
Timeline (1)
Source Articles (1)
Former leadership
Officials who previously held leadership roles at this facility.
| Role | Name | Tenure | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 3 (facility lead) | Yancey, Jody LEE | 2025-01-01 → 2025-01-15 | 2 / 12 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Lilliott, Shameka | 2024-12-16 → 2026-04-15 | 2 / 2 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Brown, Sonja D | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | — / — |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Brown, Sonja D | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | — / — |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Yancey, Jody LEE | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | 2 / 12 |
Location
Aerial View
Architecture documents what the building was designed to hold. See the system-wide receipts at gps.press/warehouse.