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Clark, Reginald Tyrone
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 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
Reginald Tyrone Clark entered the Georgia Department of Corrections as a corrections officer in 2015 and rose through supervisory ranks—lieutenant, captain, unit manager—before his appointment as Deputy Warden at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (GDCP) in 2023, a post he has held through the present. GPS records attribute 62 deaths to his leadership tenure, all occurring at GDCP during his service as deputy warden. At least one federal civil‑rights lawsuit names Clark directly as a defendant, and he has been named in three additional federal cases—two criminal and one civil—filed while he held supervisory roles.What happened on their watch
Clark assumed the deputy warden role at GDCP on January 1, 2023. Over the next three years, the facility recorded 62 deaths. Among them are documented homicides: Carrell D. Johnson, 32, died on June 6, 2023, from chopping injuries to the head and sharp‑force injuries to the torso, according to an Atlanta Journal‑Constitution investigation; Elmer W. Pless, 65, was strangled on May 15, 2023, per the same AJC probe; and William Rhodes, 38, was killed on February 20, 2025 (cause‑category 3, GPS records note “Homocide”). Another death, 27‑year‑old Jacob Scott Wilcox on June 28, 2025, also falls under the homicide category. A user‑sourced report submitted to GPS describes the January 31, 2026, death of Christopher Lee, 19, who was allegedly placed in a stripped cell in H‑house over a weekend, possibly for suicide watch, and found dead; staff accounts cited cold or exposure as the cause. Multiple GPS intelligence events recount the death of Mark Smith, 53, on June 7, 2025, from neglect: Smith suffered from advanced Parkinson’s disease, was denied a medical transfer, and was discovered dead in his cell after hours without security rounds.Broader intelligence reports and events paint a picture of systemic disorder that overlapped Clark’s tenure. GPS‑tracked records state that GDCP held approximately 4,540 incarcerated people—568% of its original 1968 design capacity of 800—with infrastructure such as the medical clinic and kitchen unchanged. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that newly convicted inmate Shane Tassi was photographed with a homemade shank and a contraband cellphone within days of arriving at GDCP in June 2024, and that another prisoner, David Zavala, had 35 cellphones seized at the time of his guilty plea. The same publication documented that Officer Vera Jackson admitted taking thousands of dollars to tip off a death‑row inmate about upcoming shakedowns, and that a prisoner who requested protection from gang threats was moved to a location where six gang members attacked him with razor blades. In October 2025, a GPS incident report captured a systemic failure in death reporting and investigation, including deaths deleted from the inmate database and missing witness statements.
Litigation
- Jackson v. Deputy Warden Reginald Clark, No. 5:23‑cv‑00333 (M.D. Ga., filed Sept. 5, 2023) — pending; a civil‑rights action naming Clark directly.
- Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, No. 1:16‑cv‑00533 (N.D. Ga., filed Feb. 19, 2016, terminated Mar. 29, 2019) — Clark listed as a defendant; the case involved Fulton County.
- United States v. Ross, No. 3:21‑cr‑00039 (M.D. Ga., filed Sept. 15, 2021) — pending criminal case in which Clark is a defendant.
- United States v. Beckham, No. 2:26‑cr‑00001 (S.D. Ga., filed Jan. 6, 2026) — pending criminal case naming Clark as a defendant.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — series on Georgia prison homicides and systemic failures (including reports on contraband, bribes, vandalism, and capacity at GDCP)
- CourtListener — docket records for Jackson v. Clark, Cunningham v. Fulton County, U.S. v. Ross, and U.S. v. Beckham
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak — structured personnel records, deaths attributed during tenure, user‑sourced death reports, capacity and incident intelligence
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2020-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2018-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:26-cr-00001 | GASD | 2026-01-06 | pending |
| 5:23-cv-00333 | GAMD | 2023-09-05 | pending |
| 3:21-cr-00039 | GAMD | 2021-09-15 | pending |
| 1:16-cv-00533 | GAND | 2016-02-19 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
62 people died at facilities under Clark, Reginald Tyrone's leadership.
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