Clark, Reginald Tyrone

Tenure Summary

Reginald Tyrone Clark joined the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer in 2015 and rose steadily through the ranks — lieutenant (2016–2017), captain (2018–2019), and unit manager (2020–2022) — before being appointed Deputy Warden at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (GDCP) in January 2023, a post he continues to hold through at least 2025. GPS records show 63 deaths attributed to GDCP during Clark's tenure as Deputy Warden, spanning January 2023 through March 2026. The overwhelming majority are categorized as cause-category 6 (unspecified/other); at least four are categorized as homicide (cause-category 3), and at least one is categorized as suicide-related (cause-category 2). Clark is named as a defendant in one active federal civil rights lawsuit and appears in the case record of a separate federal criminal matter.

What Happened on Their Watch

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison — Deputy Warden, January 2023–present

GPS records show 63 deaths at GDCP during Clark's tenure as Deputy Warden. The deaths span all age ranges — from 19-year-old Christopher Lee (January 2026) to 76-year-old James Thompson (February 2026) and Albert Stinson (September 2024) — with the majority of decedents in their 30s through 60s. Most deaths carry cause-category 6. Four deaths are recorded as cause-category 3 (homicide): Carrell D. Johnson, 32, who died June 6, 2023 from chopping injuries to the head and sharp-force injuries to the torso, per the AJC Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation; Elmer W. Pless, 65, who died May 15, 2023 by strangulation, also per the AJC investigation; William Rhodes, 38, whose record notes "homicide" (February 2025); and Jacob Scott Wilcox, 27 (June 2025). Brandon Trace Burrell, 31, died January 28, 2024 from methamphetamine intoxication complicated by a physical altercation; according to the AJC, he was assaulted by another inmate while under the effects of methamphetamine and reportedly suffered numerous stab wounds.

Two deaths carry additional insider-sourced detail. Christopher Lee, 19, died January 31, 2026; a GPS user report — described as consistent across multiple staff members — alleges he was placed in a stripped cell in H-house over a weekend, possibly for suicide watch, and was found dead, with a staff account attributing death to cold/exposure. Novice H. Langston, 60, died January 12, 2026; a GPS user report from the same source places his death in J-House after 9:30 AM. Regarding Charles Ramen Coppeak, 26, who died November 19, 2025, a GPS user report alleges he had been held at diagnostics longer than usual and that an autopsy was pending, with an account that he suffered a seizure before bed that went unnoticed. Regarding Mark Smith, 53, who died June 7, 2025, GPS intel events describe a death from neglect involving advanced Parkinson's disease, denied medical unit transfer, and a patient found dead in his cell after hours without security rounds; no source document is cited for those specific details.

The facility itself operated under documented systemic strain throughout Clark's tenure. Per GPS records, GDCP held approximately 4,540 incarcerated people as of early 2026 in a facility designed for 800 — 568% of original design capacity — with medical, kitchen, shower, and counseling infrastructure unchanged since the facility's 1968 design. According to the AJC, almost every part of GDCP has been vandalized by prisoners, with widespread infrastructure failures. The AJC also reported that a newly convicted inmate, Shane Tassi, was photographed on social media displaying a homemade shank and contraband cell phone within days of arriving at GDCP (June 2024), indicating, according to the AJC, serious security failures. The AJC further reported that inmate David "Toro" Zavala had 35 cellphones seized from him at the time of his guilty plea, and that officer Vera Jackson — in a matter predating Clark's tenure — admitted to receiving thousands of dollars to provide a death row inmate with information on upcoming shakedowns. A GPS intel event records that inmate Charles Lee Broady Jr. was moved to a location where six gang members attacked him with razor blades after he had requested protection, per the AJC. A GPS intel event also records that inmate Ronald Allen suffered severe cold injuries to his hands during a forced work assignment with inadequate protective equipment (April 2024), leading to amputation of his left hand and permanent damage to his right hand; a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on Allen's behalf against GDC and multiple defendants on March 5, 2026.

Litigation

• Jackson v. Deputy Warden Reginald Clark, No. 5:23-cv-00333 (M.D. Ga.), filed September 5, 2023 — federal civil rights action naming Clark directly; pending as of GPS records.
• United States v. Beckham, No. 2:26-cr-00001 (S.D. Ga.), filed January 6, 2026 — federal criminal matter; Clark appears in the case record; pending. No charging details against Clark are stated in the structured records.
• United States v. Ross, No. 3:21-cr-00039 (M.D. Ga.), filed September 15, 2021 — federal criminal matter; Clark appears in the case record; pending. No charging details against Clark are stated in the structured records.
• Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, No. 1:16-cv-00533 (N.D. Ga.), filed February 19, 2016; terminated March 29, 2019 — Clark appears in the case record; no outcome amount is recorded.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (homicide cause-of-death details for Johnson, Pless; Burrell assault account)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on GDCP security failures (Tassi shank/cellphone incident; Zavala cellphone seizure; Broady gang attack; infrastructure vandalization; Vera Jackson guilty plea)
• GPS user reports — GPS-2026-DBD4D (Christopher Lee, H-house stripped cell); GPS-2026-AC159 (Novice Langston, J-House); Coppeak seizure account
• GPS intel events — GDCP overcrowding reports (568% design capacity, January–February 2026); Mark Smith neglect death events; Ronald Allen injury and lawsuit events (March 2026)
• Court records via CourtListener — Jackson v. Deputy Warden Reginald Clark, 5:23-cv-00333; United States v. Beckham, 2:26-cr-00001; United States v. Ross, 3:21-cr-00039; Cunningham v. Fulton County Georgia, 1:16-cv-00533
• GPS records — deaths-during-tenure table, positions table (career chronology, salary data)

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.