WARE STATE PRISON
Facility Information
- Capacity
- 1,546 beds
- Current Population
- 1,447
- Address
- 3620 North Harris Road, Waycross, GA 31503
- County
- Ware County
- Opened
- 1990
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- James Spann
- Phone
- (912) 285-6400
- Fax
- (912) 285-6415
- Staff
- Deputy Warden Security: Martella Walker
- Deputy Warden C&T: Lutria Jones
- Deputy Warden Admin: VACANT
About
Ware State Prison in Waycross is a close-security men’s prison opened around 1990 with a rated capacity of roughly 1,546 beds. It uses a mix of dormitory housing and high-security cellblocks, including Tier II special-management units, and maintains a CERT team and other tactical resources. Ware has been a focal point in investigations of extreme violence, large-scale riots, and staff brutality, and its chronic understaffing and overcrowding have been cited in both media reporting and federal civil-rights findings.
Mortality Statistics
74 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2025: 12
- 2024: 15
- 2023: 16
- 2022: 12
- 2021: 11
- 2020: 8