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Beasley, Jacob
Status: active
Profile written August 23, 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
Jacob Beasley is an active Georgia Department of Corrections employee whose recorded career began as a correctional officer at Rogers State Prison in 2007, with later sergeant, lieutenant, and unit manager postings at Rogers and Telfair. He moved into facility command as deputy warden at Hays State Prison in 2018, Telfair State Prison from 2019 to 2021, and Valdosta State Prison in 2022, then served as Warden 3 at Smith State Prison in 2023–2024 and Warden at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison from 2025 onward.
GPS records attribute 51 deaths to facility-leader tenures held by Beasley: 17 at Smith State Prison, 14 at Telfair State Prison, 13 at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, and 7 at Valdosta State Prison. Court records in the GPS database list him as a defendant in eight civil cases; several are pending, and none has a recorded settlement amount.
What happened on their watch
Hays State Prison (Deputy Warden, 2018)
GPS records show no deaths attributed to Beasley’s 2018 deputy warden posting at Hays State Prison.Telfair State Prison (Deputy Warden, 2019–2021)
GPS records attribute 14 deaths to Beasley’s Telfair tenure. In the provided decedent sample, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation documents five homicides: Aldrich Cain, multiple stab wounds, April 2020; Cedric Johnson, strangulation, March 2020; Marcus Pearson, multiple stab wounds, May 2020; Luis Garcia-Palacio, blunt impact injuries to the head, July 2020; and Juan Arguello-Revelles, stabbing, May 2021. A Telfair County Coroner certification recorded methamphetamine toxicity and an accident manner for Jeremy Williams. GDC’s own coding in the UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project dataset classified six deaths as natural and one as undetermined. GPS records classify William Lumpkin’s death as medical neglect, with witness reports that chest-pain complaints were ignored before death; the coroner certification recorded sepsis/acute pancreatitis and a natural manner.Valdosta State Prison (Deputy Warden, 2022)
GPS records attribute 7 deaths to the 2022 Valdosta posting. The AJC documents two homicides in the sample: Dexter Burnett, stab wound to the torso, September 2022, and Hakeem Williams, stab wound to the chest, February 2022. GPS event records state that Williams, 27, was placed handcuffed in a cell with an unrestrained and unsearched cellmate by Officer Angela Butler; the cellmate, Jonathan Bivens, was later convicted of murder and aggravated assault. GPS records also state that GDC failed to preserve video footage of the stabbing and that a federal judge sanctioned GDC and Butler. The remaining five decedents in the provided sample — Dewey Slayton, Wiley Tucker, Derick Ferrell, Darius Lowe, and Terrance Robinson — have no cause notes in the data.Smith State Prison (Warden, 2023–2024)
GPS records attribute 17 deaths to Beasley’s Smith State Prison tenure. The provided sample includes at least eight homicides documented by the AJC: James Adams, Donquerius Mahone, Quenton Mayo, Justin Smith, Shaquan Boykins, Calvin Denson, Anthony Zino, and Randy Wynn, with causes including stab wounds, blunt-force trauma, head injuries, and asphyxia. GBI medical examiner records classify Richard Williams and Boris Mejia as suicides by hanging. Lawrence Woods died of acute peritonitis; GPS determined the death reflected medical neglect, while the GBI ruled the manner accident. Walter Wright’s death was certified natural, attributed to cardiac dysrhythmia. Decedent ages in the sample ranged from 29 to 72. During this posting, Jackson v. Beasley was filed in December 2023 and terminated in January 2024.Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (Warden, 2025–present)
GPS records attribute 13 deaths to Beasley’s tenure at GDCP. Decedent ages in the sample range from 19 to 76. Among them, Christopher Lee, 19, was found dead on January 31, 2026; a GBI medical examiner certified probable cardiac dysrhythmia and a natural manner, while a prisoner report alleged he had been placed in a stripped cell and that staff attributed death to cold or exposure. Mark Rutledge’s death appears on the GDC June 2026 monthly mortality report; a user report alleged he was beaten at GDCP on Father’s Day, but the GDC report carries no cause of death. GPS records also show that as of January 31, 2026, GDCP held 4,540 people in a facility designed for 800 — 568 percent of design capacity — during Beasley’s tenure.Litigation
The GPS database lists the following cases in which Beasley is a defendant:
- Humphreys v. Oliver, No. 1:25-cv-07012 (N.D. Ga.), filed Dec. 9, 2025; terminated Jan. 15, 2026.
- Humphreys v. Oliver, No. 1:25-cv-06100 (N.D. Ga.), filed Oct. 24, 2025; terminated Dec. 10, 2025.
- Miller v. Holt, No. 5:25-cv-00356 (M.D. Ga.), filed Aug. 25, 2025; pending.
- Hamilton v. Beasley, No. 6:25-cv-00057 (S.D. Ga.), filed Jul. 22, 2025; pending.
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, No. 1:25-cv-03191 (N.D. Ga.), filed Jun. 6, 2025; terminated Mar. 30, 2026.
- Grier v. Jacob Beasley, No. 1:25-cv-00074 (N.D. Ga.), filed Jan. 7, 2025; pending.
- Jackson v. Beasley, No. 4:23-cv-00198 (M.D. Ga.), filed Dec. 8, 2023; terminated Jan. 8, 2024.
- Pak v. Sprayberry, No. 4:21-cv-00113 (N.D. Ga.), filed Jun. 15, 2021; terminated Mar. 4, 2022.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, homicide cause attributions at Telfair, Valdosta, and Smith State Prisons.
- GBI Medical Examiner / DOFS autopsy records obtained by GPS through open records requests, including Smith State Prison suicides and GDCP death certifications.
- Telfair County Coroner certifications obtained by GPS through open records requests.
- GDC June 2026 Monthly Mortality Report, confirming the death of Mark Rutledge.
- UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project custodial mortality dataset, containing GDC’s own coding obtained via open records request.
- Federal court dockets via CourtListener, for the litigation records above.
- GPS records and event database, including the Valdosta State Prison stabbing case, GDCP capacity figures, and facility death counts.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2025-07-16 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| Warden 3 | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HAYS STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Unit Manager | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 |
| Lieutenant | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2012-01-01 → 2012-12-31 |
| Sergeant | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2009-01-01 → 2009-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-07012 | GAND | 2025-12-09 | terminated |
| 1:25-cv-06100 | GAND | 2025-10-24 | terminated |
| 5:25-cv-00356 | GAMD | 2025-08-25 | pending |
| 6:25-cv-00057 | GASD | 2025-07-22 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 1:25-cv-00074 | GAND | 2025-01-07 | pending |
| 4:23-cv-00198 | GAMD | 2023-12-08 | terminated |
| 4:21-cv-00113 | GAND | 2021-06-15 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
51 people died at facilities under Beasley, Jacob's leadership.
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