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Hammock, Alisa M
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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
Alisa M. Hammock has served as Deputy Warden at Hays State Prison since at least 2016, a facility-deputy leadership role she has held continually through the present. According to GPS records, 36 individuals died at Hays State Prison during her tenure as deputy warden. Two federal lawsuits filed in the Northern District of Georgia — McKenzie v. Oliver (2026) and Daker v. Jones (2024) — name Hammock as a defendant; both remain pending. The deaths, documented through official reports, journalism investigations, and inmate relay networks, span homicides, natural causes, and cases where the manner of death was not publicly specified, and they occur against a backdrop of persistent violence, staff misconduct allegations, and systemic deficiencies at the facility.What happened on their watch
Hammock’s tenure as deputy warden at Hays State Prison began in 2016 and continues into 2026. GPS records attribute 36 deaths to the facility during this period. The death records, which include the most recent incidents, show a concentration of homicides: at least six decedents were killed by stabbings or blunt-force trauma according to investigations by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Anthony McGhee, 34, died in March 2020 from blunt-force head trauma and sharp-force injuries; Jorge Ventura, 35, died of multiple stab wounds in June 2021; Quintez Smith, 25, died of multiple sharp-force injuries in August 2022; Talore Blackford, 31, died of stab wounds to the neck in October 2023; Jeremy Price, 36, died of stab wounds to his neck and chest in March 2024; and Freddie Lee Talley III, 31, died of a stab wound to the chest in May 2024. Other homicides documented in the records include Melvin Johnson, 35, who in January 2026 was beaten into brain death after, per Telegram relay reports, a counselor returned him to a dorm where he had reported safety threats; he later died after being removed from life support. James Cannon, 48, was found unresponsive in his cell in October 2025, with foul play suspected and his cellmate under investigation, according to Coosa Valley News. An April 2026 incident, flagged via Telegram relay, involved an incarcerated person identified as KG stabbed multiple times in the neck during an official inspection, with at least two additional victims sustaining neck wounds — indicating multiple homicides in a single event. Dozens of additional deaths are listed with a cause category of “unknown” by GPS, and the full count of 36 includes Raymont Farley, 36, whose death in June 2025 was classified as natural/seizure.During Hammock’s tenure, Hays State Prison was the subject of multiple allegations of staff misconduct and systemic failure. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a former guard was sentenced for smuggling methamphetamine into the facility, and a lieutenant, Lakeshia Thomas, was convicted in 2022 after a GBI investigation revealed she arranged to smuggle marijuana for a gang member. A 2026 AJC article cited Tammy Price (mother of Jeremy Price) alleging that the Georgia Department of Corrections hides manner-of-death information from mortality reports to obscure its failure to protect prisoners. In 2025, the state announced a $24 million “hardened” unit at Hays, a response to chronic violence that included three homicides within a single month in late 2012–early 2013 and a correctional officer who survived being stabbed 22 times, though those events predate Hammock’s deputy role. The facility’s warden as of July 2023, Joshua Jones, died unexpectedly in July 2026, per a published obituary, leaving Hammock as one of several deputy wardens at the prison.
Litigation
- McKenzie v. Oliver, No. 4:26-cv-00108 (N.D. Ga., filed April 28, 2026) — pending; names Alisa Hammock among defendants.
- Daker v. Jones, No. 4:24-cv-00173 (N.D. Ga., filed July 15, 2024) — pending; names Alisa Hammock among defendants.
Sources
- GPS records and death database — 36 deaths at Hays State Prison during Hammock’s deputy warden tenure (2016–present)
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — homicide investigations for McGhee, Ventura, Smith, Blackford, Price, Talley; allegations that GDC obscures manner-of-death information; reporting on staff smuggling convictions
- Coosa Valley News — report on James Cannon’s suspicious death at Hays SP
- Telegram relay reports — details on Melvin Johnson’s fatal beating and KG’s stabbing during an inspection
- CourtListener / PACER — McKenzie v. Oliver and Daker v. Jones dockets
- Published obituary — confirmation of Warden Joshua Jones’s death and Hammock’s continuing deputy warden role
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HAYS STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → present |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:26-cv-00108 | GAND | 2026-04-28 | pending |
| 4:24-cv-00173 | GAND | 2024-07-15 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
36 people died at facilities under Hammock, Alisa M's leadership.
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