Dogan, Helen R

Tenure Summary

Helen R. Dogan has served as Deputy Warden at Washington State Prison (Davisboro, Georgia) continuously since at least 2016, making her one of the longest-tenured facility-level leaders in GPS records at that institution. GPS records attribute 38 deaths at Washington State Prison during her tenure as Deputy Warden, spanning cause categories that include homicide, natural causes, suicide, and unclassified deaths. The most acute episode on her watch was a January 2026 riot that killed four incarcerated people and injured more than a dozen others — one of the deadliest single incidents in recent Georgia prison history. No lawsuits naming Dogan personally as a defendant appear in GPS records.

What Happened on Their Watch

Washington State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2016–present

GPS records attribute 38 deaths at Washington State Prison during Dogan's tenure as Deputy Warden. The deaths span multiple cause categories: at least nine are classified as homicide; a substantial number are classified as natural or unclassified causes; and one is recorded as a suicide by hanging (GPS-DEATH-2026-8B60E). Homicide victims documented in GPS records include Devonte Tiger Williams, 26, whose cause of death the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation lists as "multiple sharp force injuries to torso, head and neck" (August 2024); Jacob Cole Henson, 31, listed by the AJC as killed by "multiple gunshot wounds" (April 2024) — with an AJC allegation that a GDC officer fatally shot Henson during a transport to a hospital for medical treatment; Marquis Reshawn Jefferson, 26, whose AJC-documented cause of death was "stab wounds to torso and arm" (May 2022); Michael Lee Jackson, 60, whose AJC-documented cause was "multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of hypertensive cardiovascular disease" (August 2022); and Dontavious Carter, whose death record lists "homicide due to a puncture wound to the heart" (January 2025). The deadliest single episode occurred January 11, 2026, when a riot — which the GDC described as a suspected gang-affiliated disturbance — broke out during visitation hours. Three men were pronounced dead at or near the scene: Teddy Dewayne Jackson, 27; Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher, 23; and Jimmy Lee Trammell, 42, who per GPS records was days from release. A fourth man, Silas Rodrigioeuz Westbrook, 42, died January 17, 2026, after being stabbed in the riot and transferred to Metro Reentry Facility; per WMAZ, a GPS user report alleges lack of proper medical care contributed to his death. The facility was placed on continuous lockdown following the riot; a GPS family report dated February 22, 2026 states the lockdown had lasted approximately 50 days with no reopening. By April 2026, GDC confirmed 12 inmates had been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, gang participation, and unlawful acts of violence in connection with the January riot, per the AJC, 13WMAZ, and WFXL. A separate GPS user report (GPS-DEATH-2026-91829 and GPS-DEATH-2026-D4EC3) documents two additional unidentified men apparently killed on February 17, 2026, in the facility's segregation unit ("the hole"), with a user note questioning whether officers were present during the fatal fight.

Systemic conditions alleged by multiple sources overlap directly with Dogan's tenure. The AJC reported allegations that buildings with maintenance failures allowed prisoners to strip materials for weapons, that locks were disabled enabling unmonitored cell movement, and that understaffing left movements unsupervised. Former inmates Earl White and "Brandon," speaking to 13WMAZ, alleged overcrowded dorms, chronic staffing shortages, absent supervision, no education or vocational programs, mold, vermin, poor medical care, and daily knife violence with no staff intervention. Per 41NBC and the AJC, a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report found Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked deadly violence, widespread drug use, extortion, and sexual abuse — findings that postdate years of Dogan's tenure at Washington State Prison. State Rep. Billy Hitchens, per 41NBC, alleged the prison system has not made meaningful progress on preventing inmates from disabling cell-door locks. A GPS family report dated May 9, 2026 alleges that legal mail delivered to Washington State Prison on April 25, 2026 had not reached an inmate 14 calendar days later, a delay the report states exceeds the window permitted under GDC SOP 227.06 by approximately eight working days.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (homicide cause-of-death records for Williams, Henson, Jefferson, M.L. Jackson); January 2026 riot coverage; April 2026 murder charges reporting
• 13WMAZ — January 2026 riot coverage; former-inmate condition allegations (Earl White, Brandon); murder charges reporting
• 11Alive — GDC gang-affiliation allegation re: January 2026 riot
• 41NBC — January 2026 riot coverage; DOJ 2024 findings; Rep. Hitchens allegation on cell-door locks
• WGXA — Jimmy Trammell family allegation; GDC gang-affiliation characterization
• WFXL — 12-inmate charge reporting
• WMAZ — Silas Westbrook death and medical care allegation
• GPS user reports — GPS-DEATH-2026-91829, GPS-DEATH-2026-D4EC3, GPS-DEATH-2026-8B60E, GPS-DEATH-2026-C029F, GPS-DEATH-2026-A54A1, GPS-DEATH-2026-D5E57, GPS-DEATH-2026-CDEDE, GPS-DEATH-2026-99253
• GPS family/allegation submissions — legal mail delay report (2026-05-09); lockdown duration report (2026-02-22); conditions report (2026-03-08)
• GPS records — full deaths-during-tenure table, positions table

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 10, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.