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Banks, Mary L
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 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 as a corrections officer in 2015, rising through lieutenant, captain, and unit manager positions before being appointed Deputy Warden at Autry State Prison in 2024. According to GPS records, six incarcerated individuals died at the facility during her tenure as deputy warden. All six deaths are classified under cause category 6, indicating natural causes. While Banks is named as a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits filed between 2011 and 2024, none appear to arise from her corrections role; the cases involve banking and county government disputes that predate her GDC employment.What happened on their watch
Banks served as Deputy Warden at Autry State Prison from 2024 to 2025, the only facility where her role reached the accountability tier of facility deputy. GPS fatality records show six deaths during this period:- Alerick Campbell, aged 56, died on December 22, 2024.
- Harvey Jack Woodard, 69, died on May 8, 2025.
- Alton Anson Kelly, 61, and James Melvin Tudor, 86, both died on August 23, 2025.
- Richard Merritt, 75, died on October 20, 2025.
- Chaudhry Abudl Rashid, 74, died on November 11, 2025.
All deaths are logged under cause category 6; this category corresponds to natural deaths in GPS’s classification system. Decedents’ ages ranged from 56 to 86, reflecting an older population at the prison.
Autry State Prison had a documented history of environmental health hazards that predated Banks’s tenure but provide context for facility conditions. According to GPS intelligence records, Legionella bacteria were detected in the water system, and an inmate tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease in 2021. The facility was closed in June 2023 for extensive plumbing and HVAC upgrades. It had reopened by the time Banks became deputy warden. No intelligence reports link Banks directly to any of the deaths, and no lawsuits were filed against her in connection with these fatalities.
Litigation
GPS records list the following lawsuits naming Mary L. Banks as a defendant. None are related to her corrections employment:- Fuller v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:11-cv-00784 (N.D. Ga., filed Mar. 11, 2011), terminated Jul. 20, 2020.
- Stargel v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:12-cv-03822 (N.D. Ga., filed Oct. 31, 2012), terminated Sep. 26, 2019.
- Arnold v. Clayton County School District, No. 1:12-cv-03455 (N.D. Ga., filed Oct. 4, 2012), terminated Aug. 17, 2015.
- Brown v. Suntrust Banks Inc, No. 1:14-cv-02965 (N.D. Ga., filed Sep. 16, 2014), terminated Oct. 29, 2019.
- Drayton v. Mcintosh County Georgia, No. 1:15-cv-04274 (N.D. Ga., filed Dec. 9, 2015), terminated Apr. 13, 2016; refiled as No. 2:16-cv-00053 (S.D. Ga., filed Apr. 13, 2016), terminated Nov. 17, 2022.
- Lr Trust v. Rogers, No. 1:16-cv-04132 (N.D. Ga., filed Nov. 3, 2016), terminated Sep. 18, 2017.
- Hofschutle v. Sun Trust Banks Inc, No. 1:20-cv-01676 (N.D. Ga., filed Apr. 20, 2020), terminated Mar. 4, 2021.
- Emerson v. Clayton County Georgia, No. 1:24-cv-04843 (N.D. Ga., filed Oct. 23, 2024), pending.
All cases were filed in federal district courts for the Northern or Southern Districts of Georgia. Dispositions were dismissals or transfers; no settlements or judgments are recorded.
Sources
- GPS personnel data — career timeline of Mary L. Banks, including Deputy Warden post at Autry State Prison, 2024–2025.
- GPS fatality records — six deaths at Autry State Prison during Banks’s deputy warden tenure, all attributed to natural causes.
- GPS intelligence records — Legionella contamination at Autry State Prison, inmate Legionnaires’ diagnosis in 2021, facility closure in June 2023 for infrastructure repairs.
- United States District Court docket entries via CourtListener — nine civil suits naming Mary L. Banks as a defendant, filed 2011–2024.
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
6 people died at facilities under Banks, Mary L's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | JAMES MELVIN TUDOR | 86 | AUTRY STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-08-23 | ALTON ANSON KELLY | 61 | 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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