WILCOX STATE PRISON
Facility Information
- Original Design Capacity
- 750 (at 245% capacity)
- Bed Capacity
- 1,827 beds
- Current Population
- 1,837
Why design capacity matters:
Adding beds to a prison does not increase medical facilities, educational programs, kitchen capacity, counseling services, or recreation areas. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Plata that severe overcrowding beyond design capacity violates the 8th Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Read: Brown v. Plata - A Legal Roadmap for Georgia's Prison Crisis →
Read: Brown v. Plata - A Legal Roadmap for Georgia's Prison Crisis →
- Address
- 470 South Broad Street, Abbeville, GA 31001
- Mailing Address
- P.O. Box 397, Abbeville, GA 31001
- County
- Wilcox County
- Operator
- GDC (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
- Warden
- Micheal Thomas
- Phone
- (229) 467-3000
- Fax
- (229) 467-2380
- Staff
- Deputy Warden Security: Talithia Bryant
- Deputy Warden C&T: Jennifer Wilson
- Deputy Warden Admin: LaTorsha Jones
About
Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville is a large medium-security prison for adult male felons, constructed in 1993 and opened in 1994 with a rated capacity of about 1,827 beds. Housing consists of multiple dormitory and cell units, along with segregation for disciplinary and protective custody cases. Wilcox serves as a major general-population hub for medium-custody prisoners, providing work details, basic education, and limited vocational programs, but it faces persistent problems with overcrowding, contraband, and violence, in line with broader system-wide patterns.
Mortality Statistics
48 deaths documented at this facility from 2020 to present.
Deaths by Year
- 2026: 6
- 2025: 13
- 2024: 9
- 2023: 5
- 2022: 4
- 2021: 5
- 2020: 6