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Brown, Sonja D
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
Sonja D Brown has held both staff and leadership roles in the Georgia Department of Corrections since 2001. GPS records document Brown as a correctional officer at Johnson State Prison in 2001, a counselor at Central State Prison in 2004, and then a series of social services program consultant roles from 2011 through 2022. Brown moved into facility leadership as deputy warden at McRae Women’s Facility in 2023–2024, deputy warden at Riverbend Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in 2025, and regional operations coordinator and private prison monitor at Riverbend later in 2025. Brown has served as warden of Central State Prison since June 1, 2026. GPS records attribute three deaths to Brown’s leadership tenure, all at Central State Prison. No lawsuit in the provided records names Brown as a defendant.What happened on their watch
McRae Women’s Facility — Deputy Warden, 2023–2024
GPS records show no deaths attributed to Brown during this deputy warden posting, and no facility-specific allegations or lawsuits naming Brown appear in the provided data.Riverbend Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility — Deputy Warden / Regional Operations Coordinator / Private Prison Monitor, 2025
The GPS leadership-tenure tally does not attribute any facility deaths to Brown for the Riverbend postings. No lawsuits naming Brown are recorded.Central State Prison — Warden, June 1, 2026–present
GPS records attribute three deaths to Brown’s tenure as warden at Central State Prison. Richard Palmer, age 57, is recorded on June 2, 2026; GPS notes state the death was confirmed on the GDC June 2026 monthly mortality report, which carried no cause of death. Mickey Barrett is recorded on July 11, 2026, with GPS auto-populated GDC data giving an approximate age at death of 65 and last known institution as Central State Prison. Steve Allen Burk is recorded on July 20, 2026; the GPS death record notes include the lines “Beaten To Death” and “Source: Warden called me from the prison.”The provided records also document broader, pre-existing violence and staffing problems at Central State. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing a DOJ report, Hollis Alan Bryant was stabbed to death in December 2023 and three other prisoners were criminally charged; the same reporting says Marquis L. Johnson was stabbed in the prison barbershop on December 8, 2023, and later died after cardiac arrest secondary to the stabbing. 13WMAZ reported that three former Central State guards were accused in a March 2025 inmate beating and attempted cover-up, and that a guard faced charges in December 2025 after allegedly falsely imprisoning four DFCS employees. Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that severe staff shortages have allowed gang members to effectively run state prisons, contributing to violence and deaths. These events predate Brown’s June 2026 warden start and are not counted among the three deaths attributed to Brown’s tenure.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel positions, death records for Richard Palmer, Mickey Barrett, and Steve Allen Burk, and facility intel events.
- GDC June 2026 Monthly Mortality Report, as cited in GPS records — confirmed the death of Richard Palmer; listed no cause.
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — DOJ-derived homicide reporting on Hollis Alan Bryant and Marquis L. Johnson at Central State Prison.
- 13WMAZ — reporting on Central State Prison guard misconduct allegations in 2025.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — reporting on severe staffing shortages and prison violence in Georgia.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2026-06-01 → present |
| Private Prison Monitor | RIVERBEND CORRECTIONAL AND REHABILITATION FACILITY | 2025-09-01 → present |
| Regional Operations Coordinator | RIVERBEND CORRECTIONAL AND REHABILITATION FACILITY | 2025-07-16 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | RIVERBEND CORRECTIONAL AND REHABILITATION FACILITY | 2025-01-01 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| Deputy Warden | McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY | 2023-11-22 → 2023-11-22 |
| SOCIAL SVCS PRGM CONSULTANT 3 | 2016-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| SOC SVCS PROG CONSUL (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Lead Social Service Program Consultant (SSPC 3) | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 | |
| Counselor | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2004-01-01 → 2004-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | JOHNSON STATE PRISON | 2001-01-01 → 2001-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
3 people died at facilities under Brown, Sonja D's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-20 | Steve Allen Burk | — | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-07-11 | Mickey Barrett | — | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2026-06-02 | Richard Palmer | 57 | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | Warden |
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