Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Beasley, Jacob
Beasley, Jacob
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 2026
Salary
$116,726
2025 · state payroll
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 has spent nearly two decades rising through the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections. He began as a Correctional Officer at Rogers State Prison in 2007 and later held sergeant and lieutenant posts before becoming a Deputy Warden at Hays State Prison in 2018, at Telfair State Prison from 2019 through 2021, and at Valdosta State Prison in 2022. In 2023 he was appointed Warden of Smith State Prison, a position he held through 2024, and since early 2025 he has served as Warden of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison. According to GPS records, 55 deaths have been attributed to facilities where Beasley held a leadership role during his tenure: 14 at Telfair State Prison while he was Deputy Warden, 7 at Valdosta State Prison (Deputy Warden), 17 at Smith State Prison (Warden), and 17 at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (Warden). Beasley has been named as a defendant in multiple federal lawsuits; one death at Telfair later resulted in a $3.2 million state settlement.What happened on their watch
Telfair State Prison, Deputy Warden (2019–2021)
GPS records show 14 deaths at Telfair during Beasley’s deputy warden tenure. Among them, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified several homicides: Cedric Johnson (strangulation, March 2020), Aldrich Cain (multiple stab wounds, April 2020), Marcus Pearson (multiple stab wounds, May 2020), Luis Garcia‑Palacio (blunt impact head injuries, July 2020), and Juan Arguello‑Revelles (stabbing, May 2021). In another death, William Lumpkin was classified as natural causes, but a witness alleged medical neglect, stating a doctor refused to evaluate him after he complained of chest pain. The facility was deeply understaffed; the AJC reported that Telfair was missing 76 percent of its essential workforce, leaving only 36 officers to supervise 1,400 prisoners. During this period, an officer allegedly responded “if he dies, he dies” when an inmate pleaded for help in extreme heat, and the family of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano later secured a $3.2 million settlement with the state over his death.Valdosta State Prison, Deputy Warden (2022)
Seven deaths are attributed to Valdosta while Beasley was Deputy Warden. An AJC investigation recorded that Hakeem Olajuwon Williams was stabbed by a cellmate after an officer placed him, handcuffed, in a cell with an unrestrained and unsearched inmate. Dexter Burnett died from a stab wound to the torso. Other deaths during this posting include Terrance Robinson, Darius Lowe, Derick Ferrell, Wiley Tucker, and Dewey Slayton. The facility later gained notoriety for a large-scale contraband network: the AJC reported that at least six correctional officers aided inmate Kydetrius Thomas in smuggling drug‑soaked paper, pills, and tobacco, and a federal drug‑trafficking case revealed that inmate Luis Ramirez directed a meth and fentanyl operation from inside the prison, leading to the seizure of 35 kilograms of methamphetamine and $145,000 in cash.Smith State Prison, Warden (2023–2024)
Beasley’s tenure as Warden of Smith State Prison saw 17 deaths. GPS and AJC records include multiple homicides: James Adams (blunt force trauma to head and neck), Quenton Mayo (stab wounds to neck), Justin Smith (epidural hematoma, blunt force injury), Shaquan Boykins (blunt impact head injuries), Calvin Denson (stab wound to chest), Anthony Zino (asphyxia due to neck compression), Randy Wynn (homicide), and Donquerius Mahone (homicide). The AJC described Smith as one of the state’s most understaffed, violent, and dysfunctional facilities, with roughly two‑thirds of correctional officer posts vacant. During this period, a loaded gun was smuggled inside and used to kill an Aramark food service worker, a security lapse the GDC did not publicly explain. A former warden of Smith was later indicted on RICO charges, and the AJC reported that inmate Nathan Weekes allegedly orchestrated three murders from within the prison. The facility was the focal point of a system‑wide lockdown in April 2026 following a gang‑related altercation.Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, Warden (2025–present)
Seventeen deaths have been recorded at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison since Beasley became Warden in January 2025. Among those reported: William Rhodes (homicide, February 2025), Jacob Scott Wilcox (cause category 3), and a series of deaths in 2026 including Christopher Lee, who a user report says was placed in a stripped cell for suicide watch and found dead, with staff attributing the death to cold and exposure. Another account states Mark Rutledge was beaten on Father’s Day. The facility is operating at 568 percent of its original 1968 design capacity, holding about 4,540 people in a space built for 800. Security failings have been noted: the AJC reported that newly arrived inmate Shane Tassi possessed a contraband phone and a homemade shank within days of arrival, and a federal civil rights lawsuit (Allen v. Georgia Department of Corrections) alleges medical neglect that led to the amputation of an inmate’s left hand and permanent damage to his right hand.Litigation
- Jackson v. Beasley, 4:23‑cv‑00198 (M.D. Ga., filed Dec. 2023, terminated Jan. 2024)
- Hamilton v. Beasley, 6:25‑cv‑00057 (S.D. Ga., filed July 2025, pending)
- Grier v. Jacob Beasley, 1:25‑cv‑00074 (N.D. Ga., filed Jan. 2025, pending)
- Miller v. Holt, 5:25‑cv‑00356 (M.D. Ga., filed Aug. 2025, pending) — Beasley listed as a defendant per court records
- Pak v. Sprayberry, 4:21‑cv‑00113 (N.D. Ga., filed June 2021, terminated Mar. 2022)
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order, 1:25‑cv‑03191 (N.D. Ga., filed June 2025, terminated Mar. 2026)
- Humphreys v. Oliver, 1:25‑cv‑06100 and 1:25‑cv‑07012 (N.D. Ga., filed Oct. 2025 and Dec. 2025, both terminated) — both name Beasley among defendants.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel postings, death tallies, and user‑submitted death reports
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — multiple homicide investigations (2020–2025), staffing and contraband reporting on Telfair, Smith, and GDCP
- 13WMAZ — report on $3.2 million settlement for death at Telfair State Prison
- The Georgia Virtue — coverage of Smith State Prison warden indictment and civil suits
- Yahoo.com — Washington‑state inmate drug trafficking network tied to Valdosta State Prison
- CourtListener — federal court dockets for Jackson, Hamilton, Grier, Miller, Pak, Daker, and Humphreys cases
- In These Times — inmate strike allegations regarding conditions at Georgia prisons, including Smith State Prison
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 |
| 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
55 people died at facilities under Beasley, Jacob's leadership.
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