WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
Facility Information
- Original Design Capacity
- 500 (at 196% capacity)
- Bed Capacity
- 1,548 beds
- Current Population
- 980
- Active Lifers
- 329 (33.6% of population) · Oct 2026 GDC report
What the courts held in Brown v. Plata, and how Georgia compares →
- Address
- 13262 Hwy 24 East, Davisboro, GA 31018
- Phone
- (478) 348-5814
- Fax
- (478) 348-5613
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 206, Davisboro, GA 31018
- County
- Washington County
- Opened
- 1991
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
Security Classification
Last updated: September 23, 2026
241 of the 980 people held here are classified Close security (24.6%), as of September 23, 2026.
| Security level | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Close | 241 | 24.6% |
| Medium | 704 | 71.8% |
| Minimum | 35 | 3.6% |
| Total | 980 |
Earlier count (undated table, produced October 22, 2025): 418 of 1,511 Close (27.7%).
Source: Georgia Department of Corrections records produced to GPS under the Open Records Act (R031471-090226, R024615-101925). A person's security level is GDC's classification of that person, which can differ from the prison's own designation.
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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) | Stewart, Veronica M | 2024-06-16 | 25 / 41 |
| Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (facility deputy) | Jackson, Tarra L Tomlin | 2021-01-01 | 30 / 30 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Whipple, Tamishia V | 2024-01-01 | 16 / 16 |
| Deputy Warden of Administration (facility deputy) | King, Tywanda F | 2026-08-01 | 1 / 1 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Powell, Tiauna F | 2026-09-16 | — / — |
About
Last updated November 8, 2026.(DS)
Washington State Prison: A Riot, a Lockdown That Never Ended, and the Record Beneath It
Washington State Prison sits on Georgia Highway 24 in Davisboro, a medium-security facility for adult men that opened in 1991 with a design capacity of 500 and now carries a rated capacity of 1,548. It houses minimum- and medium-custody prisoners in dormitories and cellblocks, along with segregation and support units, and provides work details for surrounding communities plus limited educational, vocational, and faith-based programming. Its current population is 980 — roughly 63 percent of rated capacity — and its warden is Veronica M. Stewart, who has held the post since June 2024.
On January 11, 2026, a gang-war riot broke out there. Four incarcerated men died — three at the scene, a fourth of injuries days later — and the facility went on a lockdown that, by multiple accounts, has never fully lifted. What follows traces that event, the deaths that bracket it, and the structural record — staffing, medical care, infrastructure, and the flow of information out of the prison — that GPS's reporting and records place around it.
The January 11 Riot and the Week That Surrounded It
The violence began around 1:25 p.m. on Sunday, January 11, when a fight among several incarcerated men on a sidewalk spilled into a visitation area. The Georgia Department of Corrections described the disturbance as gang-affiliated; staff deployed non-lethal weapons and reported the situation under control by roughly 3 p.m. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that three incarcerated men were killed and 13 other incarcerated people and one correctional officer were injured. The AJC and other outlets identified the dead as Ahmod Hatcher, 23; Teddy Jackson, 27; and Jimmy Trammell, 42 — Trammell reportedly just days from release.
A fourth man, Silas Westbrook, 42, was injured in the riot and died on January 17. GDC's account, as reported, was that Westbrook had been treated for minor injuries, transferred to the Metro Reentry Facility, and suffered a medical emergency on arrival. His death certificate, issued in Washington County by Deputy Coroner Mark Hodges, lists the cause as delayed complications of multiple sharp force injuries and the manner as homicide; the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's case 26-0104 recorded multiple stab and puncture wounds sustained in the riot. Teddy Jackson's death certificate lists a stab wound of the torso, multiple sharp-force injuries of the head, torso, and extremities, and a manner of homicide; Field 43 records him as "assaulted by others."
Two days before the riot, on January 9, Dajhmere Hall, 30, was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at 7:15 a.m. The GBI's autopsy found acute oxycodone toxicity at a potentially lethal femoral-blood level of 0.096 mg/L, no significant natural disease, and no traumatic injury; the medical examiner certified the manner as accident. Cellmates told investigators Hall had snorted a powdery substance the night before, and authorities later found powder and pills in his locker box. Together the five deaths — Hall on January 9, Hatcher, Jackson and Trammell on January 11, Westbrook on January 17 — make up a single week in which five men died at or from Washington State Prison.
Twelve Charged, and a District Attorney's Silence
In late April 2026, GDC confirmed that 12 incarcerated men had been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, gang participation, and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution over the January 11 fight. 13WMAZ and the AJC both reported the charges. A GDC spokesperson said the investigation remained active and offered no further detail.
What happened to those charges afterward is less clear. GPS re-asked District Attorney Fitzner on October 9, 2026, whether the Washington State Prison cases had reached his office, whether any indictments had been issued, and for case numbers. As of GPS's record, it remains unknown whether the charges have reached the district attorney for indictment and which of the deaths they cover. That gap matters: the charging announcement is the only public accounting of individual responsibility for four homicides, and nearly six months later its legal status is unresolved.
Staffing: Sixty-Nine Posts, Six Officers, and a Former Instructor's Account
The staffing picture around the riot is the most documented structural fact on this page. GPS's reporting, drawing on GDC's response to an open records request, found that on January 9 and 10, 2026, entire housing units at Washington State Prison were left completely unmonitored, and that the facility's 69 designated security posts were covered by five to six correctional officers. A separate account reported that a gang war broke out on January 11 with only six officers on duty.
That record is corroborated on the record by Tyler Ryals, a former GDC officer and CERT commander who was the institutional instructor at Washington State Prison and who submitted a protest statement to GDC leadership on August 1, 2024. In a January 2026 interview on The Dai Room, Ryals — described in the record as a former GDC officer whose stated career matches his — said that most shifts at the prison consisted of about six women and possibly one man, at a prison of roughly 1,500 men; that Washington State Prison had no tactical squad and no CERT team in 2024; that most supervisor positions were open; and that when he submitted his statement, the facility probably did not have five able-bodied male officers. He described responding to codes called at the prison while working across the street, usually arriving after the incident was over. In a September 2026 YouTube live, Ryals said he had been an instructor at Washington State Prison for about his last year.
Ryals also described a specific failure of response: an incarcerated man punched and knocked out a male officer and then stomped him on the sidewalk, and no male officer was available to help; a female officer from the front entry eventually came down. Ryals said he wrote a statement to GDC leadership urging action. In a recorded August 2024 Zoom call with GDC Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Holt, Ryals said he shared an office with the recruitment lieutenant at the prison, giving him some view of local recruitment.
GPS records show the pattern continuing: 17 staffing-shortage signals at this facility over the past 12 months, spanning seven months and rated critical, high, and moderate severity, with the U.S. Department of Justice named among the external parties. GPS has documented systemwide that officer vacancies in Georgia's prisons have run between 49.3 and 60 percent for multiple years against a national standard of no more than 10 percent, that the hiring pipeline cannot close the gap, and that the October 2024 DOJ findings letter concluded GDC leadership had "lost control of its facilities" while placing "too much blame on gangs and insufficient emphasis on understaffing."
A Lockdown Without an End, and Information Without a Channel
The lockdown that followed January 11 became its own story. GPS's reporting describes a facility that never reopened: no yard, no visits, restricted commissary, and, by inmate accounts collected by GPS, a lockdown approaching 90 days by spring and still in place in late October 2026. Family members posting publicly describe the same. Faye Pressley wrote in the Ga. Prisons Exposed Facebook group on October 8, 2026, asking whether visitation was being allowed at "the Washington State prison in davisboro Georgia," noting it had been almost a year. Tyler Ryals wrote on Facebook on September 7, 2026 that "the inmates inside haven't felt the sun touch their skin since that (preventable) riot took place early this January," and that "they needed intervention in 2024, and they still need intervention now."
GPS records show 5 visitation-obstruction signals and 6 contact-with-family-severed signals at this facility over the past 12 months, along with 8 due-process-violation signals naming the U.S. Department of Justice among external parties. GPS has received recurring reports that incarcerated people were confined to their cells around the clock and barred from the law library while facing court deadlines, and that commissary access was withheld from the general population while a subset of work-detail workers retained it.
The information problem extends to records. GPS's reporting found that four days after the deadliest prison violence in years at Washington State Prison, zero incident reports had been filed. GDC's response to a records request states that any incident reports for the January 7 to January 12, 2026 period had not been completed as of the response time, and that GDC possessed no documents responsive to the request. The same production delivered only two shift/post reports, for January 9 and 10, despite a request for rosters through January 12; the requester asked GDC whether the two documents covered 24 hours each, noting they appeared identical except for the date.
Forty Deaths Since 2020, and a Coroner-to-GBI Loop
GPS has recorded 40 deaths at Washington State Prison since January 1, 2020 — a floor, since GDC reports deaths roughly two months late. Twelve are classified as homicides, 11 as natural or medical, six as overdose, six as unknown or pending, and one each as medical neglect, suicide, use of force, accident, and other. The full list is maintained at GPS's facility mortality page.
The most recent are Joseph Earl Adams, who died August 30, 2026, at age 58, with cause listed as unknown/pending; Isreal Moses Jones, who died June 14, 2026, at 68, a homicide; Courtney Davis, who died June 13, 2026, at 43, unknown/pending; Deshawn Poole, who died June 9, 2026, at 34, a homicide; and Frank Smith, who died May 6, 2026, at 75, unknown/pending. Before them: Silas Rodrigioeuz Westbrook died January 17, 2026, at 42, a homicide; Teddy Dewayne Jackson died January 11, 2026, at 27, a homicide; Jimmy Lee Trammell died January 11, 2026, at 42, a homicide; Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher died January 11, 2026, at 23, a homicide; Dajhmere Ladaveon Hall died January 9, 2026, at 30, an overdose; Taylor Allen Howard died December 16, 2025, at 66, natural/medical; Benjamin Horne died December 15, 2025, at 51, an overdose; Wayne Krier died November 5, 2025, at 77, natural/medical; Darrin Gresham died August 8, 2025, at 60, unknown/pending; William Earl Long died July 16, 2025, at 52, an accident; Michael Lareco Daniel died June 20, 2025, at 44, a homicide; Lamontez Winkfield died May 11, 2025, at 22, a homicide; Yoncey Jallah died April 23, 2025, at 49, natural/medical; Robert Washington died January 14, 2025, natural/medical; Dontavious Carter died January 7, 2025, a homicide; Devonte Tiger Williams died August 9, 2024, at 26, a homicide; Torrey Wayne Forrester died July 1, 2024, at 41, natural/medical; Johntavis Jermaine Kellom died May 2, 2024, at 36, an overdose; Jacob Cole Henson died April 23, 2024, at 31, use of force; and Jimmy Lee Reed died April 2, 2024, at 66, unknown/pending.
The records behind several of those deaths show a recurring problem: the state's forensic system declining to examine cases, leaving cause and manner to a county coroner or to nothing at all. Wayne Krier's GBI Division of Forensic Sciences report, signed November 11, 2025, lists the cause as complications of advanced prostate carcinoma and the manner as natural, with Dr. Geoffrey Smith as the pathologist listed; GBI declined to examine the case, stating that review by the medical examiner made an examination by the office unnecessary. Ronald Wayne Kidd's GBI production certifies no cause and no manner of death; no autopsy was performed, no external examination was conducted, and Associate Medical Examiner Rachel Geller reviewed the case before GBI declined to examine it. Charles Craig Williamson's GBI production likewise certifies no cause and no manner, with no autopsy performed. Yoncey Jallah's full autopsy, by contrast, lists acute pulmonary thromboembolism and a natural manner, with nephrosclerosis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and a thoracic aortic aneurysm documented.
Torrey Wayne Forrester's case shows how thin the record can get. Per the investigator narrative, Forrester was found by prison staff on the floor of his cell outside his bed on July 1, 2024, apparently from the top bunk; he was unresponsive, taken to the prison medical unit and then to Washington State Medical Center, arriving at 1850 hours and pronounced at 1853. Authorities were unclear how to view the case and could not rule out foul play at the time; it was unclear whether he fell or another event took place. The GBI Division of Forensic Sciences ultimately certified the cause as complications of hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C, with hypertension as another significant condition, and the manner as natural.
Jacob Cole Henson's death is the one GPS classifies as use of force. The autopsy documented five gunshot wounds; wound #1 entered the top of the left shoulder and traveled through rib 2, the left lung, and the diaphragm, with four full-thickness abdominal-aorta lacerations and 1,375 mL of hemothorax. Henson's body arrived at the morgue still shackled, with handcuffs on a white metal restraint chain encircling the torso and ankle cuffs on both legs. The Georgia death certificate's Field 43 reads verbatim: "GUNSHOT WOUNDS WHILE FIGHTING WITH PRISON GUARDS." The manner is listed as homicide.
Medical Care, Food, and the Physical Plant
GPS records show 13 medical-neglect signals at this facility over the past 12 months, spanning eight months and rated critical, high, and moderate. GPS has received recurring reports that chronic-care medications were removed and not restored, that prescriptions written by outside specialists were not acted on, and that medically ordered accommodations were cancelled. GPS has also received accounts of an in-custody death attributed to medical indifference toward a treatable condition. The registry's single medical-neglect classification is Latavious Lanier Kirkland, who died December 21, 2020, at 31.
The physical plant shows up in the official record too. A state fire inspection at 13262 24 Highway in Davisboro found item 2, "Means of egress of approved type," marked non-compliant, with one current violation and zero at the last inspection. The violation section states that padlocks are not permitted on housing unit doors or any other door located in the means of egress, citing Ga R&R, Modifications to 2024 NFPA 101 section 23.2.11.1.2.1. Follow-up inspection fees of $150 or $220 apply for second and subsequent inspections under Code Section 25-2-4.1. GPS records show 13 equipment-failure-or-install signals over the past 12 months, with the U.S. Department of Justice named among external parties, and 5 water-contamination signals across three months.
On food, physical evidence submitted to GPS shows a meal served at Washington State Prison consisting of rice with a tomato-based sauce in a styrofoam bowl, and commissary restriction notices imposing spending caps and item-level limits — on rice, soup, water, drink mix, chips, candy bars, soda, cupcakes, pies, cookies, and meat. GPS has documented systemwide that GDC spends approximately $1.69 per person per day on food and has proposed $1.60 per day in FY27 — under 60 cents per meal — against the FDA Thrifty Food Plan estimate of roughly $10 per day for an adult man's nutritionally adequate diet. The Marshall Project independently reported on May 16, 2026, on rats in kitchens, insects in food, moldy trays, and visible malnutrition across Georgia facilities. GPS records show 7 food-quality-complaint signals and 8 sanitation-failure signals at this facility in the past year.
The commissary economy is inmate-funded and does not appear in state appropriations. Across the GDC commissary master's top-selling items, markups run from 85 to 224 percent — acetaminophen at $0.54 contract and $1.75 retail, a 224 percent markup; a 3-ounce bag of Columbian coffee at $2.40 contract and $7.40 retail, 208 percent. GPS records show 14 overcrowding signals at this facility over the past 12 months across six months.
Leadership, and What the Record Does Not Establish
The facility's leadership is documented: Veronica M. Stewart has been warden since June 16, 2024; Tiauna F. Powell has been Deputy Warden of Security since September 16, 2026, and Tamishia V. Whipple since January 1, 2024; Tywanda F. King has been Deputy Warden of Administration since August 1, 2026; and Tarra L Tomlin Jackson has been Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment since January 1, 2021. Tamara Grier was announced in November 2025 as Deputy Warden of Security, bringing more than 22 years of experience in Georgia's correctional system.
GPS's reporting has previously described accounts, from January 2025, that Deputy Warden of Security Ricky Alexander was accused of facilitating contraband delivery through drone drops and ensuring gang leaders received the goods, and that after the murder of Dontavious Carter the Deputy Warden of Security addressed incarcerated men directly and warned them that if they see a murder about to happen, they better leave the room. Those are accounts GPS's reporting describes; they are not established findings. Alexander does not appear in the current leadership roster.
What the record does not establish is as important as what it does. GPS has received accounts of staff-on-inmate use of force and of retaliation against incarcerated people who raise complaints at this facility. GPS records show 19 named and 19 unnamed staff-misconduct signals over the past 12 months, and 20 external-complaint signals naming, among others, the DOJ Civil Rights Division, the GBI, the fire marshal, the GDC Ombudsman, and State Representative Billy Hitchens. Those are patterns in GPS's records, not adjudicated findings.
Sources
This analysis draws on GDC public statements and records productions, including its response to a GPS open records request covering the January 2026 period and its January 12, 2026 staff roster; Georgia death certificates and GBI Division of Forensic Sciences autopsy and examination reports obtained through open records production; state fire inspection records; reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 13WMAZ, WTOC, WGXA, and 41NBC; The Marshall Project's May 2026 investigation of Georgia prison food; GPS's own investigative reporting and its mortality registry; on-record interviews and public statements by former GDC instructor and CERT commander Tyler Ryals, including his January 2026 interview on The Dai Room, a September 2026 YouTube live, and Facebook posts of September 7, September 19, and August 30, 2026; public Facebook posts by family members Simone Gray, Faye Pressley, Allison Eddington, and Janie Speed Armour; and inmate, family, and staff accounts collected by GPS. GPS has independently tracked 1,928 deaths in GDC custody since 2020.
Mortality Statistics
40 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 10
- 2025: 10
- 2024: 5
- 2023: 6
- 2022: 8
- 2021: 0
- 2020: 1
County Public Health Department
Food service and sanitation at WASHINGTON STATE PRISON fall under the jurisdiction of the Washington 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
- District Environmental Health Director, North Central Health District (covers Washington County)
- Name
- Carla Coley
- Address
-
201 Second Street, Suite 1100
Macon, GA 31201 - Phone
- (478) 751-6114
- carla.coley@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.
November 14, 2026
RE: Request for Unannounced Public Health Inspection of Food Service Operations at WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
Dear Carla Coley,
I am writing to respectfully request that your office conduct a thorough, unannounced inspection of food service and sanitation practices at WASHINGTON STATE PRISON, located in Washington County.
Documented concerns
Georgia Prisoners' Speak, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative newsroom, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2026 | 88 | Routine | |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 91 | Routine | |
| Dec 30, 2024 | 98 | Routine | |
| Mar 22, 2024 | 95 | Routine | |
| Jun 29, 2023 | 88 | Routine |
June 1, 2026 — Score 88
Routine · Inspector: Justin Jones
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed peas in Cambro unit at 99 F. Except during preparation, cooking, or cooling, or when time is used as the public health control, time/temperature control for safety food shall be maintained at 41°F (5°C) or below or 135°F (57°C) or above, except that roasts cooked to a temperature and for a time specified in subsection (5)(a)2 of this Rule and reheated using the same temperature and time conditions as cooking may be held at a temperature of 130°F (54°C) or above.PIC discarded food item. |
| 6-1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) Corrected | 9 | Observed rice in Cambro unit at 125 F. Except during preparation, cooking, or cooling, or when time is used as the public health control, time/temperature control for safety food shall be maintained at 41°F (5°C) or below or 135°F (57°C) or above, except that roasts cooked to a temperature and for a time specified in subsection (5)(a)2 of this Rule and reheated using the same temperature and time conditions as cooking may be held at a temperature of 130°F (54°C) or above.Rice was removed from Cambro unit and reheated to 165 F. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed evidence of pests in WIC containing dry goods.The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled to minimize their presence on the premises by:1. Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of food and supplies;2. Routinely inspecting the premises for evidence of pests;3. Using methods, if pests are found, such as trapping devices or other means of pest control as specified under subsections (6)(e), (6)(m), and (6)(n) of this Rule; Pf and4. Eliminating harborage conditions. |
November 7, 2025 — Score 91
Routine · Inspector: Justin Jones
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2B |
food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized 511-6-1.05(7)(b) - food contact surfaces and utensils - cleaning frequency (p, c) | 4 | Observed bulk ice machines with black substance on deflector plates. In equipment such as ice bins and beverage dispensing nozzles and enclosed components of equipment such as ice makers, cooking oil storage tanks and distribution lines, beverage and syrup dispensing lines or tubes, coffee bean grinders, and water vending equipment:(I) At a frequency specified by the manufacturer; or(II) Absent manufacturer specifications, at a frequency necessary to preclude accumulation of soil or mold.Increase cleaning frequency of ice machines. Machine should be sanitized before being put back into use. |
| 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 | Observed broken pipe from 3-compartment sink in pots and pan area draining directly onto the floor. Observed floor tiles broken, missing throughout the facility. Some areas holding water. All areas should be maintained in good condition. This has been an ongoing issue for years. Some of the tiles have been removed in large areas. Continue efforts toward compliance. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed live pests and evidence of rodents and pests. The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled to minimize their presence on the premises by:1. Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of food and supplies;2. Routinely inspecting the premises for evidence of pests;3. Using methods, if pests are found, such as trapping devices or other means of pest control as specified under subsections (6)(e), (6)(m), and (6)(n) of this Rule; Pf and4. Eliminating harborage conditions. |
December 30, 2024 — Score 98
Routine · Inspector: Justin Jones
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Observed broken pipe from 3-compartment sink in pots and pan area draining directly onto the floor. Observed floor tiles broken, missing throughout the facility. Some areas holding water. All areas should be maintained in good condition. This has been an ongoing issue for years. Some of the tiles have been removed in large areas. Continue efforts toward compliance. |
March 22, 2024 — Score 95
Routine · Inspector: Justin Jones
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10D |
food properly labeled; original container 511-6-1.04(4)(d) - food storage containers identified with common name of food (c) Corrected | 3 | Observed storage container with dry ingredients with no label. Could not determine if it was sugar or salt by looking at it. Except for containers holding food that can be readily and unmistakably recognized, such as dry pasta, working containers holding food or food ingredients that are removed from their original packages for use in the food establishment, such as cooking oils, flour, herbs, potato flakes, salt, spices, and sugar shall be clearly and legibly identified, in English, with the common name of the food. |
| 15A |
food and nonfood-contact surfaces cleanable, properly designed, constructed, and used 511-6-1.05(2)(a) - equipment and utensils, constructed of durable materials (c) | 1 | Observed dry goods being stored in broken storage bin in bakery area. Equipment and utensils shall be designed and constructed to be durable and to retain their characteristic qualities under normal use conditions. |
| 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 | Observed broken pipe from 3-compartment sink in pots and pan area draining directly onto the floor. Observed floor tiles broken, missing throughout the facility. Some areas holding water. All areas should be maintained in good condition. This has been an ongoing issue for years. Some of the tiles have been removed in large areas. Continue efforts toward compliance. |
June 29, 2023 — Score 88
Routine · Inspector: Justin Jones
| Code | Violation | Pts | Inspector notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-1B |
proper hot holding temperatures 511-6-1.04(6)(f) - time/temperature control for safety; hot holding (p) | 9 | Observed several food items (see comments) being hot held below 135F in Cambro units . Except during preparation, cooking, or cooling, or when time is used as the public health control, time/temperature control for safety food shall be maintained at 41°F (5°C) or below or 135°F (57°C) or above, except that roasts cooked to a temperature and for a time specified in subsection (5)(a)2 of this Rule and reheated using the same temperature and time conditions as cooking may be held at a temperature of 130°F (54°C) or above. Reheated. |
| 18 |
insects, rodents, and animals not present 511-6-1.07(5)(k) - controlling pests (pf, c) | 3 | Observed live pests and evidence of rodents and pests. The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled to minimize their presence on the premises by:1. Routinely inspecting incoming shipments of food and supplies;2. Routinely inspecting the premises for evidence of pests;3. Using methods, if pests are found, such as trapping devices or other means of pest control as specified under subsections (6)(e), (6)(m), and (6)(n) of this Rule; Pf and4. Eliminating harborage conditions. |
Recent reports (32)
Source-attributed observations and allegations from news coverage and reports submitted to GPS. Each entry credits its source.
- ALLEGATION According to WGXA Published: May 27, 2026Luis Alfonso Ramirez directed a drug trafficking network from Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones.
"A Washington state prison inmate, Luis Alfonso Ramirez, has been indicted for allegedly directing a major fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network from inside Georgia’s Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones, according to federal prosecutors."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published: Jan 21, 2025A GDC officer fatally shot inmate Jacob Cole Henson during a fight at a hospital while transporting him for medical treatment.
"He was fatally shot after getting into a fight with a GDC officer who had taken him to a hospital to be treated for injuries he suffered in a stabbing incident earlier that day, according to police."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to 11Alive Recorded by GPS: May 5, 2026GDC alleges the inmates involved in the deadly brawl were believed to be involved with gang activity.
"The inmates involved in Sunday's deadly brawl at Washington State Prison were believed to be involved with gang activity, according to a press release from the Georgia Department of Corrections."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to 13WMAZ Recorded by GPS: May 5, 2026The GDC alleged that the inmates involved in the deadly brawl were believed to be involved with gang activity.
"The inmates involved in Sunday's deadly brawl at Washington State Prison were believed to be involved with gang activity, according to a press release from the Georgia Department of Corrections."
Read source → - ALLEGATION According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published: Jan 12, 2026Buildings with maintenance issues enabled prisoners to strip materials to make weapons, locks didn't work allowing easy cell escapes, and understaffing left movements unmonitored.
"Consultants hired for a yearlong study in June 2024 by Gov. Brian Kemp found that buildings with maintenance issues enabled prisoners to strip off materials from walls and ceilings to make weapons. They could also easily leave cells because the locks didn't work. Understaffing meant there often were no officers around to monitor the movements, the consultants reported, and officers working alone reported being fearful of retribution if they enforced the rules."
Read source →
Timeline (100)
Source Articles (55)
Former leadership
Officials who previously held leadership roles at this facility.
| Role | Name | Tenure | Deaths this facility / career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warden (facility lead) | Wilkes, Scott W | 2022-04-01 → 2024-06-15 | 15 / 15 |
| Warden (facility lead) | Fort, Karl D | 2020-07-01 → 2022-03-31 | 3 / 3 |
| Warden 1 (facility lead) | Walker, Victor L | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 | — / 69 |
| WARDEN 1 (facility lead) | White, Jermaine M | 2018-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | — / 23 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN (facility deputy) | Dogan, Helen R | 2016-01-01 → 2025-12-31 | 30 / 30 |
| Deputy Warden of Security (facility deputy) | Grier, Tamara | 2025-11-16 → 2026-09-15 | 15 / 15 |
| Deputy Warden (facility deputy) | Sanford, Paul Anthony | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 | — / 13 |
| Deputy Warden (facility deputy) | Alexander, Ricky | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 | — / — |
| Chaplain (specialty lead) | Harris, Warren | 2026-08-27 → 2026-08-27 | — / — |
| Chaplain (specialty lead) | Harris Sr., Warren | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 | — / — |
Location
Aerial View
Satellite image: Esri World Imagery. Architecture documents what the building was designed to hold. See the system-wide receipts at gps.press/warehouse.
Then and now
Each photo shows the same 1.2 km square, north up, so buildings line up from one year to the next. The older photos are U.S. Geological Survey aerial photographs. The photos from 1988 and earlier were taken on film and lined up with the later ones by their roads, so their positions are approximate. The early-1980s photos were taken from very high up and are less sharp. Select a photo to see it full size.