Bryant, Delisha L

Tenure Summary

Delisha L Bryant's GDC career in these records begins in 2007 as a correctional officer at Autry State Prison. Salary records list her as a CSM Correctional Unit Manager in each year from 2019 through 2024, with a November 22, 2023 record placing that title at Valdosta State Prison. At Valdosta she held Unit Manager and Deputy Warden posts from January 1 to March 15, 2025, and has held the title Deputy Warden of Security since March 16, 2025, with a further Deputy Warden record dated August 27, 2026. Her status is listed as active; no source-recorded status beyond active appears in the records.

All 22 deaths attributed to her leadership tenure occurred at Valdosta State Prison, and each is recorded against the Deputy Warden of Security role she has held there since March 16, 2025. Of those 22, sixteen carry a cause listed as Unknown/Pending; four are listed as homicide, one as suicide and one as natural/medical. The court records summarized in this profile do not name Bryant as a defendant in any lawsuit.

What happened on their watch

Valdosta State Prison — CSM Correctional Unit Manager (record dated Nov 22, 2023); Unit Manager and Deputy Warden (Jan 1–Mar 15, 2025); Deputy Warden of Security (Mar 16, 2025–present)

During Bryant's tenure as Deputy Warden of Security, the deaths below were recorded at Valdosta State Prison, per GPS's death registry:

• Chet Elliott Kent died March 16, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 45.
• Brandon Dominique Mcgee died April 2, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 33.
• Anthony Vashern Prothro died April 7, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Suicide. Age 34.
• Jason Frank Jordan died June 1, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 45.
• William Stacey Springer died September 16, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 36.
• Garrett Paul Schmidt died September 21, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Paul Hampton died October 12, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 66.
• Arthur Nekita Burks died November 28, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 61.
• Jessie James Kilgore died December 23, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 56.
• Jevion Andrez Benham died December 24, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 21.
• Dequontist Marquez Lucas died December 25, 2025, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 41.
• Ronnie Jackson died February 15, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical. Age 62.
• Sergio Hernandez died February 26, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide. Age 39.
• Robert Louis Johnson died March 8, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 60.
• Robert Jordan Watkins died March 18, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 38.
• Dontarious Lamonta Burke died April 19, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 23.
• Jeremiah Alan Brown died May 26, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Kevin James Flamer died May 28, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 26.
• Antavious Bailey died June 21, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 40.
• Steven Bryant died June 23, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 49.
• Ramon Daniel Ortiz died July 4, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 33.
• James Edward Loren died August 13, 2026, at Valdosta State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending. Age 54.

In a 14-page letter dated October 1, 2026, the Southern Center for Human Rights told GDC that conditions at Valdosta State Prison are unconstitutional and amount to a humanitarian crisis, alleging cells without working lights, water or toilets in at least eight housing units, mold and vermin, and temperatures above 100 degrees without air conditioning; it cited GDC records showing a correctional officer vacancy rate over 73 percent as of May 2026, a January 27, 2026 record of two officers on duty for the entire compound, and a 2025 GDC audit finding 72 of 106 cell locks non-compliant. SCHR counted 25 deaths at the prison between January 1, 2025 and August 13, 2026, at least 14 of them men aged 40 or younger. GDC told the AJC it is reviewing the allegations and that $107 million has been allocated to maintenance and improvements at the prison since fiscal year 2021, of which about $3.2 million has been spent.

Earlier reports during the same tenure include a May 12, 2025 AJC account of a notice of intent to sue from Shane Griffith's family alleging he was beaten, burned, dragged by a rope and killed by inmates while staff were absent; a September 18, 2025 WALB report that inmates said staff did not respond to the stabbing of William Springer for several hours and that his family alleged GDC did not contact them; a December 26, 2025 WTOC report in which Coroner Austin Fiveash criticized the two-day delay in discovering Benham's body; and a March 30, 2026 AJC report that Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner sanctioned GDC for destroying video of the February 2022 fatal stabbing of Hakeem Williams and sanctioned officer Angela Butler for lying under oath. A June 24, 2026 inmate report described a death with bleeding from the head, possibly non-natural and unconfirmed at the time; a June 13, 2026 report described gang-related violence spilling to another prison with multiple facilities on modified movement. On May 27, 2026, seven people, including inmate Luis Ramirez, were indicted for a drug-trafficking operation run from the prison with contraband cellphones. GDC said a viral July 2026 TikTok video of a flooded cell was staged. A July 20, 2026 public comment by a former supervisor alleged understaffing and retaliation for refusing to falsify staffing records.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Valdosta conditions reporting (Oct. 19–20, 2026); Butler/Williams sanctions and evidence destruction (Mar. 30, 2026); Shane Griffith notice of intent to sue (May 12, 2025)
• Southern Center for Human Rights — 14-page letter of concern to GDC dated Oct. 1, 2026
• WRDW — flooded-cell video report (July 23, 2026)
• WTOC — Benham death and coroner comments (Dec. 26, 2025)
• WALB — William Springer stabbing and family statements (Sept. 18, 2025)
• Yahoo.com — seven-defendant drug trafficking indictment (May 27, 2026)
• GPS death registry and case submissions — decedent records; GPS public comment thread (July 20, 2026)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 25, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.