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Adams, Chequita
Status: active
Profile written June 21, 2026
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Chequita Adams began work inside the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2020 as a Human Resources Tech at Augusta State Medical Prison and held a series of administrative and financial roles—including HR Tech 2, Financial Ops Generalist, and Accounting Technician—before being named Deputy Warden of Administration at Hancock State Prison on January 16, 2026. GPS records attribute a total of four deaths to Adams’ leadership tenure at Hancock, all occurring within the first three months of her assignment. No lawsuits name Adams as a defendant, but the facility she helps oversee had already been the focus of sustained media and federal scrutiny over extreme under‑staffing, gang dominance, and repeated failures to protect incarcerated people.What happened on their watch
Adams’ deputy warden tenure at Hancock State Prison began on January 16, 2026. Per GPS records, four incarcerated men died there during her watch.The first death occurred on January 25, 2026. Steven Monroe Wood, 54, was discovered in his cell with severe injuries after being beaten; he was taken to Washington County Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Wellstar MCG Health in Augusta, where he died the following day, according to the Union Recorder. On February 6, 2026, Jaylin Bell, 32, died after an altercation with his cellmate in the segregation unit; the incident was reported by 41NBC and confirmed by GPS inmate reports. Jerrod Johnson, 27, was fatally stabbed around 4:45 p.m. on February 18, 2026, and died before emergency medical services could transport him, according to GDC records. On April 7, 2026, Jacorey Derrelle Pearson, 36, died; the cause of death has not been publicly released, but GDC data categorize it as a violent death. The Georgia Department of Corrections’ Office of Professional Standards opened an investigation into each death, describing the reviews as standard procedure.
These deaths occurred against a backdrop of systemic failures documented well before Adams arrived. A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice investigation described Georgia prisons as sites of “stunning violence,” rampant sexual assaults, and gang‑run facilities, fueled by a “culture of indifference.” Reporting by the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution showed that Hancock State Prison had one of the highest correctional officer vacancy rates in the state—73.5% of positions unfilled as of October 2024, leaving roughly 49 officers on duty for more than 1,100 incarcerated people. Emergency‑level staffing shortages, broken cell locks, and a flood of contraband enabled prisoners to orchestrate violence and drug trafficking from their cells. Litigation over other deaths at Hancock, such as a lawsuit alleging staff ignored an incarcerated person’s repeated requests for a cell move the day before he was murdered by gang members, illustrates the persistence of these dangers. While none of those lawsuits name Deputy Warden Adams, the conditions identified by investigators and journalists continued to define the facility during the months in which the four deaths attributed to her tenure took place.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — multiple investigative reports on Hancock State Prison understaffing (73.5% vacancy rate), gang‑related deaths, and the 2024 U.S. Department of Justice findings
- U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 investigation detailing violence, sexual assault, and gang‑run prisons in Georgia
- Union Recorder — account of Steven Wood’s beating death at Hancock State Prison, January 2026
- 41NBC — report on Jaylin Bell’s death following a cellmate altercation at Hancock, February 2026
- Georgia Department of Corrections records — personnel and incident data for Jerrod Johnson, Jacorey Pearson
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak intelligence — death records, structured facility data, and intel event logs
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Administration | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2026-01-16 → present |
| ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN 3 | 2025-01-01 → present | |
| ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN 3 | BALDWIN STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 3 | BALDWIN STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| FINANCIAL OPS GENERALIST 2 | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| HR TECH 2 | NORTHWEST RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT CENTER | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| Human Resources Tech | AUGUSTA STATE MEDICAL PRISON | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
4 people died at facilities under Adams, Chequita's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-07 | JACOREY DERRELLE PEARSON | 36 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-02-18 | JERROD JOHNSON | 27 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-02-06 | JAYLIN BELL | 32 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
| 2026-01-25 | STEVEN MONROE WOOD | 54 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Administration |
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