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Banks, Mary L
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 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
Mary L Banks began her career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a corrections officer. Over the following years, she advanced through uniformed supervisory roles—lieutenant, captain, and correctional unit manager—before being appointed deputy warden at Autry State Prison in 2024. GPS records show that during her tenure in the deputy warden post, a total of seven incarcerated men died at the facility. All seven deaths are categorized under the same cause code. No lawsuits naming Banks in connection with these deaths have been identified; the litigation in her record predates or is unrelated to her prison work.What happened on their watch
Banks served as deputy warden at Autry State Prison from January 1, 2024 onward, according to state salary data. GPS records attribute seven deaths to the facility during this period:- Alerick Campbell, 56, died on December 22, 2024.
- Harvey Jack Woodard, 69, died on May 8, 2025.
- James Melvin Tudor, 86, and Alton Anson Kelly, 61, both died on August 23, 2025.
- Richard Merritt, 75, died on October 20, 2025.
- Chaudhry Abudl Rashid, 74, died on November 11, 2025.
- Richard Cleveland Castleberry, 72, died on April 23, 2026.
In each case, the listed cause category is “6,” a classification that typically covers natural deaths and deaths from chronic illness; no further details are available in the GPS dataset. GPS incident logs also note that Autry State Prison experienced a Legionella bacteria contamination prior to Banks’s tenure—first detected in 2021, with an inmate testing positive for Legionnaires’ disease, leading to a facility closure in June 2023 for plumbing and HVAC upgrades. By the time Banks assumed the deputy warden role in 2024, those infrastructure repairs had been completed. A separate 2026 incident log reference describes a gang violence event at Washington State Prison, which is not managed by Banks; no incidents of violence or neglect are linked to her watch at Autry.
Litigation
The following lawsuits name Mary L Banks as a defendant. The nature of the suits, as indicated by their case names, suggests they involve banking, employment, or local government matters unrelated to her department of corrections role. None of the filings address conditions or deaths at Autry State Prison.- Emerson v. Clayton County Georgia, No. 1:24-cv-04843 (N.D. Ga. filed Oct. 23, 2024) – pending.
- Hofschutle v. Sun Trust Banks Inc, No. 1:20-cv-01676 (N.D. Ga. filed Apr. 20, 2020) – terminated Mar. 4, 2021.
- Lr Trust v. Rogers, No. 1:16-cv-04132 (N.D. Ga. filed Nov. 3, 2016) – terminated Sept. 18, 2017.
- Drayton v. Mcintosh County Georgia, No. 2:16-cv-00053 (S.D. Ga. filed Apr. 13, 2016) – terminated Nov. 17, 2022.
- Drayton v. Mcintosh County Georgia, No. 1:15-cv-04274 (N.D. Ga. filed Dec. 9, 2015) – terminated Apr. 13, 2016.
- Brown v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:14-cv-02965 (N.D. Ga. filed Sept. 16, 2014) – terminated Oct. 29, 2019.
- Stargel v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:12-cv-03822 (N.D. Ga. filed Oct. 31, 2012) – terminated Sept. 26, 2019.
- Arnold v. Clayton County School District, No. 1:12-cv-03455 (N.D. Ga. filed Oct. 4, 2012) – terminated Aug. 17, 2015.
- Fuller v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:11-cv-00784 (N.D. Ga. filed Mar. 11, 2011) – terminated July 20, 2020.
The court dockets are accessible via CourtListener (source URLs provided in the structured record).
Sources
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak personnel intelligence database — position history, death counts, and incident logs for Mary L Banks and Autry State Prison.
- CourtListener (PACER-derived dockets) — lawsuit filings naming Mary L Banks as a defendant.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2019-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:24-cv-04843 | GAND | 2024-10-23 | pending |
| 1:20-cv-01676 | GAND | 2020-04-20 | terminated |
| 1:16-cv-04132 | GAND | 2016-11-03 | terminated |
| 2:16-cv-00053 | GASD | 2016-04-13 | terminated |
| 1:15-cv-04274 | GAND | 2015-12-09 | terminated |
| 1:14-cv-02965 | GAND | 2014-09-16 | terminated |
| 1:12-cv-03822 | GAND | 2012-10-31 | terminated |
| 1:12-cv-03455 | GAND | 2012-10-04 | terminated |
| 1:11-cv-00784 | GAND | 2011-03-11 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
7 people died at facilities under Banks, Mary L's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-23 | RICHARD CLEVELAND CASTLEBERRY | 72 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-11-11 | CHAUDHRY ABUDL RASHID | 74 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-10-20 | RICHARD MERRITT | 75 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-08-23 | ALTON ANSON KELLY | 61 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-08-23 | JAMES MELVIN TUDOR | 86 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-05-08 | HARVEY JACK WOODARD | 69 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-12-22 | ALERICK CAMPBELL | 56 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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