METRO TRANSITIONAL CENTER
Facility Information
- Address
- 1303 Constitution Road, Atlanta, GA 30316
- County
- DeKalb County
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- VACANT
- Phone
- (404) 624-2380
- Fax
- (404) 624-2398
- Staff
- Assistant Superintendent: Latia Alexander
- Chief of Security: Ebony Williams
About
Metro Transitional Center is a Georgia Department of Corrections facility operating within a statewide prison system that GPS independently tracks as having recorded 1,795 deaths since 2020, with cause-of-death classifications derived entirely from GPS's own investigative reporting rather than any GDC disclosure. As a transitional facility, Metro sits within a system under sustained scrutiny for violence, medical neglect, and institutional opacity, with the GDC having paid nearly $20 million in settlements for prisoner deaths, neglect, and injuries since 2018. GPS's source documentation on Metro remains limited at this time, and this page will be updated as facility-specific reporting is developed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superintendent (facility lead) | Alexander, Latia Nicole | 2026-03-16 | — / — |
Key Facts
- 1,795 Total deaths in GDC custody tracked by GPS since 2020 (cause-of-death classifications are GPS-determined, not GDC-reported)
- 95 Deaths in GDC custody documented by GPS in 2026 so far (as of May 5, 2026), including 27 homicides
- ~$20M Total GDC settlement payments since 2018 for prisoner deaths, neglect, and injuries, per reporting reviewed by GPS
- 2,481 People backlogged in county jails awaiting GDC bed space as of May 1, 2026, reflecting persistent system overcrowding
- 56 of 95 2026 deaths classified as 'unknown/pending' by GPS — cause not yet independently confirmed, likely undercounting homicides
By the Numbers
- 29 Confirmed Homicides in 2026
- 52,801 Total GDC Population
- 1,243 Poorly Controlled Health Conditions
- 13,057 Close Security (24.38%)
- 60.38% Black Inmates
- 40.99 Average Inmate Age
Food Safety Inspections
No inspection records are on file with the Georgia Department of Public Health for this facility. GPS has filed an open records request asking where these records are maintained.
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”
Facility Overview
Metro Transitional Center is a Georgia Department of Corrections facility classified as a transitional center — a designation indicating it serves incarcerated people who are approaching release or being reintegrated into community supervision. Transitional centers occupy a distinct operational niche within the GDC system, typically housing individuals at lower security classifications who are preparing for parole, work release, or other supervised community placement.
The facility operates within a GDC system that, as of May 1, 2026, holds a total population of 52,912 incarcerated people, with an additional backlog of 2,481 individuals waiting in county jails for GDC bed space. System-wide, 24.38% of the incarcerated population is classified as close security, and 56.39% are classified as violent offenders. The average age across the GDC population is 40.99 years, with 60.38% of the population identifying as Black and 34.00% as White. These systemic demographics provide essential context for understanding the population Metro Transitional Center serves.
GPS's facility-specific documentation on Metro Transitional Center is currently limited. This page reflects the verified systemic data available as of May 2026 and will be updated as facility-specific investigative reporting is developed and sourced.
Statewide Mortality Context (GPS-Tracked)
GPS independently tracks deaths in GDC custody through its own investigative reporting, family accounts, public records, and news sources. The GDC does not publicly release cause-of-death information, and the classifications below reflect GPS's investigative determinations — not any official GDC reporting.
Across the GDC system, GPS has documented 1,795 deaths since 2020. The annual counts reflect a troubling pattern: 293 deaths in 2020, 257 in 2021, 254 in 2022, 262 in 2023, 333 in 2024, and 301 in 2025. As of May 5, 2026, GPS has already recorded 95 deaths in the current year, including 27 classified as homicides, 6 suicides, 4 natural causes, and 2 overdoses, with 56 remaining unknown or pending further investigation. GPS notes that the true homicide count across all years is likely significantly higher than confirmed figures — many deaths classified as 'unknown/pending' have not yet been independently investigated to confirm cause.
The volume of deaths classified as 'unknown/pending' — 288 of 333 in 2024, and 230 of 301 in 2025 — reflects GPS's expanding but still-limited investigative capacity, not any increase in GDC transparency. As GPS's reporting infrastructure grows, reclassification of pending deaths is expected. Any facility, including Metro Transitional Center, may have deaths recorded in this database; GPS will attribute deaths to specific facilities as documentation is confirmed.
Accountability and Legal Settlements
The GDC has paid nearly $20 million in settlements since 2018 to resolve claims involving the death, injury, and neglect of state prisoners, according to reporting reviewed by GPS. This figure represents resolved claims across the GDC system and reflects a pattern of institutional liability that persists despite the absence of meaningful public transparency from the department regarding deaths or injuries in its facilities.
GPS has not yet confirmed facility-specific settlement data tied directly to Metro Transitional Center. As GPS's legal tracking efforts expand, settlement and litigation records tied to this facility will be added to this page. Individuals with knowledge of lawsuits, civil rights complaints, or settlement agreements involving Metro Transitional Center are encouraged to contact GPS directly.
The broader $20 million settlement figure underscores the cost — both human and financial — of systemic failures across GDC facilities. Transitional centers, while often perceived as lower-risk environments, are not insulated from the accountability failures that have generated litigation against the department.
System Population Trends and Overcrowding Pressure
Weekly GDC population reports tracked by GPS show the system holding between 52,689 and 52,938 incarcerated people over the twelve-week period from February 13 to May 1, 2026 — a net increase of 201 people during that window. The backlog of people waiting in county jails for GDC bed space has ranged from 2,277 to 2,481 during the same period, reflecting persistent pressure on system capacity.
For transitional facilities like Metro Transitional Center, population pressure at the system level can affect bed availability, program access, and the pace at which individuals move through the reentry pipeline. Overcrowding and backlog conditions throughout the GDC system are relevant context for understanding operational conditions at any individual facility. GPS will report on facility-specific population data for Metro as it becomes available.
Additionally, the GDC system currently includes 1,243 individuals classified as having poorly controlled health conditions, 45 in mental health crisis, and 6 with terminal illness. These figures reflect the medical complexity of the population the GDC manages system-wide, and transitional facilities must be equipped to address medical and mental health needs as individuals approach release.
Investigative Status and Reporting Gaps
GPS's current documentation on Metro Transitional Center is derived from systemic GDC data, the GDC Facilities Directory, and the GDC Inmate Handbook — none of which provide facility-specific incident, mortality, or conditions data for Metro. No facility-specific events, incidents, lawsuits, or deaths have been independently confirmed by GPS as of May 2026.
This page is a living document. GPS actively solicits testimony from currently and formerly incarcerated people, family members, legal advocates, and staff with knowledge of conditions at Metro Transitional Center. Reports of violence, medical neglect, staff misconduct, retaliation, or other civil rights concerns at this facility can be submitted confidentially through GPS's reporting channels.
As Georgia's prison crisis continues to generate national attention and legal scrutiny, transitional facilities warrant the same level of investigative focus as higher-security institutions. The absence of documented incidents at Metro should not be read as evidence of adequate conditions — it reflects the current limits of GPS's facility-specific reporting capacity, which is actively being expanded.
Source Articles (2)
Former leadership
Officials who previously held leadership roles at this facility.
| Role | Name | Tenure | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superintendent (facility lead) | Jackson, Wendy A | 2023-05-01 → 2026-03-15 | — / 5 |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT (facility deputy) | Alexander, Latia Nicole | 2025-01-01 → 2025-12-31 | — / — |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT (facility deputy) | Alexander, Latia Nicole | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | — / — |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Orsborn, Myra Monique | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | — / 1 |