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Beland, Ryan
Status: active
Profile written August 16, 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
Ryan Beland’s GDC record begins in staff roles: correctional officer (2011) and counselor (2013) at Charles D. Hudson Transitional Center, followed by behavioral-health counselor postings including Metro Reentry Facility (2017) and Atlanta Transitional Center (2020). He entered facility leadership as a correctional assistant superintendent by 2021, then served as Superintendent at Helms Facility from July 2022 through September 2024. Beland moved to Rutledge State Prison, holding leadership roles there from January 2024 through June 15, 2026 — first as correctional superintendent, then special assistant to the warden, Warden 1, and Warden. On June 16, 2026, he became Warden at Johnson State Prison.GPS records attribute 13 deaths to Beland’s facility-leader tenures: nine at Rutledge State Prison, three at Helms Facility, and one at Johnson State Prison. The structured record lists no lawsuits naming Beland as a defendant.
What happened on their watch
Helms Facility
Beland was Superintendent at Helms from July 2022 to September 2024. GPS attributes three deaths to that posting. Frank Eugene Huffman, 66, died April 23, 2023; DeKalb County Medical Examiner case 23-0770 lists the manner as natural, with cardiac cause and cirrhosis, liver cell carcinoma, COPD, and coronary artery disease. Robert Lee Hines, 63, died May 17, 2023; GPS lists the death under cause category 6 without a narrative cause. James Michael Stafford, 59, died July 20, 2023; DeKalb County ME case 23-1277 lists manner as natural, citing GI bleed with hepatitis and liver cancer. The three deaths occurred between April and July 2023; two are documented by the ME as natural deaths.Rutledge State Prison
Beland held facility-lead roles at Rutledge from January 2024 through June 15, 2026. GPS attributes nine deaths there. The deaths include: Leroy House, 68, Jan. 3, 2024; Anthony Antonio Hand, 52, Jan. 28, 2024; Venteris Leon Hobson, 58, July 7, 2024; Tony Jeromy Reddish, 45, Sept. 28, 2024; William Edward Houston, 75, April 10, 2025; Alan Thomas Bryant, 46, June 1, 2025; Brandon Keith Bolden, 37, June 15, 2025; Jonathan Lloyd Myers, 38, May 3, 2026; and Alterek Mance Dockery, 49, June 14, 2026.For Hobson, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation records an inmate-to-inmate assault and homicide; an event note states a coroner told a TV station Hobson was found dead in his cell after a fight with his cellmate. GPS lists Hobson under cause category 3. Bolden’s GPS record likewise carries cause category 3, with a prisoner-report note reading “Homocide” [sic]; the note is a prisoner report, not a GDC cause determination. Bryant’s record notes “Natural causes” as a prisoner report. The remaining Rutledge deaths are recorded under cause category 6, which GPS does not explain in the provided notes.
The record also includes a Georgia DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger entry showing a $20,000 state liability payout tied to Rutledge for an incident in 2024, involving Amber Brejae Walker; the payout does not name Beland. An AJC report published in May 2026 describes Operation Skyhawk allegations against an officer at Rutledge, Erika Shonquandria Hall, concerning a contraband scheme; the report does not name Beland. Separately, a lawsuit filed in January 2025 over the 2021 death of Curtis Mincey at Rutledge alleges neglect of mental-health needs, but that death predates Beland’s time at the facility.
Johnson State Prison
Beland became Warden at Johnson State Prison on June 16, 2026. GPS attributes one death to this posting: Ernest Perez, 61, with an incident date of June 23, 2026 — about one week into Beland’s tenure. GPS records note a date discrepancy: a witness account placed the death on June 24, 2026, while the GDC June 2026 monthly mortality report states June 23. The GDC report confirms the fact of death only and carries no cause; GPS retains cause category 3 for Perez without an official cause. On July 21, 2026, GDC held a ribbon-cutting for a new Medical Intensive Infirmary at Johnson State Prison, an event during Beland’s tenure. Other Johnson events in the record — including the 2021 Henegar homicide, December 2023 food-safety inspection failure, and April 2026 contaminated-tray reports — predate Beland’s arrival.Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation; Henegar litigation coverage; Operation Skyhawk contraband allegations
- DeKalb County Medical Examiner case files 23-0770 and 23-1277
- Georgia DOAS Risk Management settlement ledger via open records
- GDC June 2026 monthly mortality report
- Tyler C. Ryals YouTube channel — Johnson State Prison staffing and use-of-force account
- GPS records — position history, facility death attributions, and prisoner-report death records
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2026-06-16 → present |
| Warden | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2025-04-01 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Special Assistant to the Warden | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2024-10-01 → present |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → 2024-09-30 |
| Correctional Superintendent | HELMS FACILITY | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| Superintendent | HELMS FACILITY | 2022-07-01 → 2024-09-30 |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT | HELMS FACILITY | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | ATLANTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | 2018-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 2 | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Counselor | CHARLES D. HUDSON TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | CHARLES D. HUDSON TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
13 people died at facilities under Beland, Ryan's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-23 | Ernest Perez | 61 | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-06-14 | ALTEREK MANCE DOCKERY | 49 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-05-03 | JONATHAN LLOYD MYERS | 38 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2025-06-15 | BRANDON KEITH BOLDEN | 37 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2025-06-01 | ALAN THOMAS BRYANT | 46 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2025-04-10 | WILLIAM EDWARD HOUSTON | 75 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-09-28 | TONY JEROMY REDDISH | 45 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT |
| 2024-07-07 | VENTERIS LEON HOBSON | 58 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT |
| 2024-01-28 | ANTHONY ANTONIO HAND | 52 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT |
| 2024-01-03 | LEROY HOUSE | 68 | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT |
| 2023-07-20 | JAMES MICHAEL STAFFORD | 59 | HELMS FACILITY | Superintendent |
| 2023-05-17 | ROBERT LEE HINES | 63 | HELMS FACILITY | Superintendent |
| 2023-04-23 | FRANK EUGENE HUFFMAN | 66 | HELMS FACILITY | Superintendent |
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