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.
Follow Washington State Prison
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 October 25, 2026.(DS)
Washington State Prison: A Gang War, a Lockdown That Never Ended, and Forty Deaths
Washington State Prison sits on the edge of Davisboro in Washington County, a medium-security facility for adult male felons that opened in 1991. Its original design capacity was 500; it is now rated for 1,548, and GPS's facility records show a population of 980 — about 63 percent of rated capacity. The prison 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. It is led by Warden Veronica M. Stewart, who has held the post since June 2024, with deputies Tiauna F. Powell and Tamishia V. Whipple in security, Tywanda F. King in administration, and Tarra L. Tomlin Jackson over care and treatment.
What follows is the record of a facility where a single week in January 2026 produced five deaths, where a gang-affiliated riot during visitation hours drew one of the largest law-enforcement responses the prison had seen in years, and where the lockdown that followed had, by multiple accounts, not been lifted months later. GPS has recorded 40 deaths at Washington State Prison since January 1, 2020 — 12 of them homicides — a floor rather than a final count, since GDC reports deaths roughly two months late.
The January Week: Five Deaths in Nine Days
The sequence began before the riot. Dajhmere Ladaveon Hall, 30, died January 9, 2026, at Washington State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Overdose. Two days later, on January 11, the facility erupted.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a fight starting among several inmates on a sidewalk spilled into a visitation area around 1:25 p.m., killing three men and injuring 13 others; prison staff used nonlethal weapons and regained control by about 3 p.m. The Georgia Department of Corrections described the disturbance as gang-affiliated — a characterization WGXA noted was framed as suspected — and reported that 13 inmates and one correctional officer were injured. Three men were pronounced dead at the scene: Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher, 23; Jimmy Lee Trammell, 42; and Teddy Dewayne Jackson, 27. The AJC reported that Jackson died hours later at Wellstar MCG hospital. Trammell, per GDC, was killed days before he was set to be released after serving time for burglary.
A fourth death followed six days later. Silas Rodrigioeuz Westbrook, 42, had been treated for minor injuries and transferred to Metro Reentry Facility, where he suffered a medical emergency on arrival January 17 and was pronounced dead. GDC's Office of Professional Standards said it was investigating. GPS's registry classifies Westbrook's death as a homicide.
The week's fifth death, Hall's, is recorded separately. Together the five — Hall, Hatcher, Trammell, Jackson, and Westbrook — form the deadliest single stretch in the facility's recent record, and the one that anchors everything below.
Twelve Charged, and a Lockdown Without an End
By late April, 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 for their roles in the riot. 13WMAZ, WFXL, 11Alive, and the AJC all reported the charges; GDC said the inmates were believed to be involved with gang activity. As of mid-January, GDC had said no one had been charged and the site remained on lockdown with no timeline for lifting it.
That lockdown became its own story. GPS reporting describes a facility that, by multiple accounts, never reopened. Tyler Ryals — a former GDC officer who says he was the instructor at Washington State Prison when he blew the whistle and called for action on August 1, 2024 — 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," adding that "they needed intervention in 2024, and they still need intervention now."
Families felt the closure too. Faye Pressley wrote in the Ga. Prisons Exposed Facebook group on October 8, 2026, asking whether visitation had resumed at "the Washington State prison in davisboro Georgia," noting it had been "almost a year since they've allowed visitation there." GPS records show five visitation-obstruction signals and six contact-with-family-severed signals at this facility over the past 12 months, alongside 19 external complaints filed to bodies including the GDC Ombudsman, the GBI, the fire marshal, and the DOJ Civil Rights Division.
Six Officers on Duty
The question of how a gang war could unfold inside a medium-security prison during visiting hours has a documented partial answer: staffing. GDC's response to a GPS open records request showed six officers on duty at the facility on January 11, 2026.
That figure lands inside a systemwide collapse GPS has documented: officer vacancies across Georgia's prisons have run between 49.3 and 60 percent for multiple years against a national standard of no more than 10 percent, with an acceptance rate under 15 percent and 82.7 percent of new hires leaving in their first year. Georgia ranks last of 50 states for correctional-officer pay. The October 2024 DOJ findings letter concluded that "the leadership of the Georgia Department of Corrections has lost control of its facilities" and faulted GDC for placing "too much blame on gangs and insufficient emphasis on understaffing." GPS records 17 staffing-shortage signals at Washington State Prison in the past 12 months, several at critical severity.
The staffing picture is corroborated on the record by Ryals, who told GPS he had personally been the only security person on the entire Telfair compound of roughly 1,250 maximum-security inmates — the same structural condition that produced six officers at Washington on the day of the riot.
Gang Control, Contraband, and the Weapons Inside
The DOJ and the Guidehouse 2024 consultant assessment independently concluded that gangs effectively run multiple Georgia facilities, controlling access to phones, showers, food, and bed assignments. At Washington, the riot fits that frame. GPS records 50 assault-by-inmate signals at this facility over the past 12 months — the largest single category in its intelligence system — with 16 of them concentrated in January 2026 alone.
The AJC reported that a Kemp-commissioned consultant study found buildings with maintenance issues enabled prisoners to strip materials to make weapons, that locks didn't work, allowing easy cell escapes, and that understaffing left movements unmonitored. State Rep. Billy Hitchens, reported by 41NBC, alleged the prison system is not making meaningful progress toward preventing inmates from jamming or disabling cell-door locks, allowing them to roam freely and commit attacks.
Contraband moved through the facility in ways the record documents directly. WGXA reported that Luis Alfonso Ramirez directed a drug trafficking network from Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones; a federal investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the GBI indicted Ramirez and six accomplices, seizing 35 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl valued at $225,000, plus $145,000 in cash. Separately, the AJC reported that Jeffery White, serving a 20-year sentence, led a methamphetamine network believed to have distributed more than 200 pounds of crystal meth in Volusia County, Florida, in one year, with nearly 40 arrest warrants issued.
GPS has received recurring reports of contraband cellphones, weapons, and drone deliveries at this facility, and records 13 equipment-failure-or-install signals in the past 12 months.
The Dead Since 2020
GPS's mortality registry counts 40 deaths at Washington State Prison since January 1, 2020. Twelve are classified as homicides, 11 as natural or medical, six as overdose, six as unknown or pending, and one each as accident, suicide, use of force, medical neglect, and other. The full list is maintained at gps.press/georgia-prison-deaths.
The most recent 25, as the registry records them:
- Joseph Earl Adams died August 30, 2026, at Washington State Prison; cause Unknown/Pending, age 58.
- Isreal Moses Jones died June 14, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 68.
- Courtney Davis died June 13, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 43.
- Deshawn Poole died June 9, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 34.
- Frank Smith died May 6, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 75.
- Silas Rodrigioeuz Westbrook died January 17, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 42.
- Teddy Dewayne Jackson died January 11, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 27.
- Jimmy Lee Trammell died January 11, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 42.
- Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher died January 11, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 23.
- Dajhmere Ladaveon Hall died January 9, 2026, at Washington State Prison; Overdose, age 30.
- Taylor Allen Howard died December 16, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 66.
- Benjamin Horne died December 15, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Overdose, age 51.
- Wayne Krier died November 5, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 77.
- Darrin Gresham died August 8, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 60.
- William Earl Long died July 16, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Accident, age 52.
- Michael Lareco Daniel died June 20, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 44.
- Lamontez Winkfield died May 11, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 22.
- Yoncey Jallah died April 23, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 49.
- Robert Washington died January 14, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Natural/Medical.
- Dontavious Carter died January 7, 2025, at Washington State Prison; Homicide.
- Devonte Tiger Williams died August 9, 2024, at Washington State Prison; Homicide, age 26.
- Torrey Wayne Forrester died July 1, 2024, at Washington State Prison; Natural/Medical, age 41.
- Johntavis Jermaine Kellom died May 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; Overdose, age 36.
- Jacob Cole Henson died April 23, 2024, at Washington State Prison; Use of Force, age 31.
- Jimmy Lee Reed died April 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; Unknown/Pending, age 66.
Two of these carry detail beyond the registry line. The AJC reported that Devonte Tiger Williams, 26, died August 9, 2024, from multiple sharp force injuries to torso, head and neck. And Jacob Cole Henson, 31, died April 23, 2024, from multiple gunshot wounds after getting into a fight with a GDC officer who had taken him to a hospital to be treated for injuries from a stabbing earlier that day — the AJC's homicide-tracking coverage documented the case.
Gaps in the Record: June, and the Deaths Families Learned About Another Way
The registry's June 2026 entries show how thin the official account can be. GDC reported that Isreal Jones died June 14 at Washington State Prison, cause undetermined, no signs of altercation or foul play, the body turned over to the county coroner and taken to the GBI Crime Lab. Courtney Davis died June 13 under the same description: cause undetermined, no reports of an altercation, no signs of foul play. GDC's Office of Professional Standards said it was investigating both. GPS's registry, by contrast, classifies Jones's death as a homicide and Davis's as unknown/pending — a divergence the record does not resolve.
The gap between what families are told and what happens is its own thread. Janie Speed Armour commented on Facebook on October 22, 2026, that "this is the prison my cousin died in and they didn't notify our family or try to locate us. 7 months later we find out he is dead and buried 200 miles from home." Ryals, in a September 19, 2026 Facebook post, wrote that a Georgia rule has said since December 4, 1984 that the warden shall notify a prisoner's next of kin when he is severely injured — and that "GDC has a seventeen-page written procedure for what it tells reporters. It has written none for what it tells a mother."
GPS records 40 death-in-custody signals at this facility over the past 12 months, with 15 concentrated in January 2026 and 10 in June.
Medical Care: A Contract, a Nurse Practitioner, and a Missing Physician
The medical picture at Washington State Prison is the subject of the densest body of source reporting GPS holds on this facility. GPS has received recurring reports of medication gaps, cancelled orders, and absent providers, and records 12 medical-neglect signals in the past 12 months, several at critical severity.
The pattern families describe centers on a nurse practitioner alleged to have cancelled physician-ordered care — heart medications changed without an EKG, orthotic shoe orders terminated without examination, special diets overruled, supplements discontinued. GPS has received accounts of a physician's orders being countermanded by staff at this facility. Multiple sources describe the infirmary as converted to offices and store rooms with staff reduced to day shift only, and describe the absence of an on-site physician.
The registry reflects the consequence in at least one case: Latavious Lanier Kirkland, 31, died December 21, 2020, at Washington State Prison, with GPS's registry listing the cause as Medical Neglect.
Food, Water, and the Inspection Scores That Don't Show It
The Georgia Department of Public Health inspected Washington State Prison's food service ten times between June 2023 and June 2026, all routine, all conducted by inspector Justin Jones. The scores ranged from a low of 77 (Grade C) on June 29, 2023 — four violations including food separated and protected, food-contact surfaces cleaned and sanitized, and proper cold holding temperatures — to a pair of perfect and near-perfect scores on June 1, 2026: 100 (Grade A) and 88 (Grade B), the latter citing three violations including hot holding temperatures and the presence of insects, rodents, and animals.
GPS has documented a systemic pattern in which DPH scores fail to capture kitchen sanitation failure, because inspections are scheduled walkthroughs that do not assess equipment under load. The Marshall Project independently reported on May 16, 2026 — in Schwartzapfel's "Rats, Insects and Mold" — rats in kitchens, insects in food, moldy trays, and visible malnutrition across Georgia facilities, and quoted GPS connecting chronic underfeeding to the violence pattern DOJ documented. GDC spends approximately $1.69 per person per day on food (2024) and has proposed $1.60 per day in FY27 — under 60 cents per meal — against an FDA Thrifty Food Plan estimate of roughly $10 per day for an adult man's nutritionally adequate diet.
At Washington, the physical record includes a meal served as rice and sauce in a styrofoam bowl, and commissary restriction notices imposing spending caps and item-level limits on rice, soup, water, drink mix, chips, candy, soda, cupcakes, pie, cookies, and meat. GPS records seven food-quality complaints and five water-contamination signals at this facility in the past 12 months.
The Record That Isn't There
Two deaths at this facility remain formally unexplained in the public record. Frank Smith, 75, died May 6, 2026; Joseph Earl Adams, 58, died August 30, 2026. GPS's registry lists both as Unknown/Pending — meaning GPS does not yet know the cause, not that none exists.
The same is true of the wider pattern. GPS has recorded 40 deaths at Washington State Prison since 2020, and that number is a floor: GDC reports deaths roughly two months late, and the registry will grow. What the record already shows is a facility where a gang war killed four men in a single afternoon, where a fifth died six days later, where six officers were on duty, where the lockdown outlasted the year, and where the deaths kept coming after the cameras left.
Sources
This analysis draws on reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 13WMAZ, WFXL, 11Alive, WGXA, WTOC, 41NBC, and Georgia Public Broadcasting; statements and releases from the Georgia Department of Corrections and its Office of Professional Standards; Georgia Department of Public Health food-service inspection records; federal court and indictment records in the Ramirez drug-trafficking case; GA DOAS Risk Management settlement records; GPS's own mortality registry and intelligence records; public Facebook posts by Tyler Ryals, Faye Pressley, and Janie Speed Armour; and inmate, family, and staff accounts collected by GPS. GPS has independently tracked 1,927 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
- Environmental Health Director
- Address
-
201 Morningside Drive
Sandersville, GA 31082 - Phone
- (478) 552-3210
- washington.eh@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.
October 31, 2026
RE: Request for Unannounced Public Health Inspection of Food Service Operations at WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
Dear County Environmental Health Director,
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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."
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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 | — / 12 |
| 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.