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Ivey, George
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 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
George Ivey has held multiple leadership roles in the Georgia Department of Corrections, primarily at Hancock State Prison. His career trajectory includes a year as Deputy Warden of Security in 2010, a central-office correctional administration post in 2015, and eight consecutive years as Deputy Warden at Hancock from 2016 through 2022. He was elevated to Interim Warden of Hancock in July 2023, a post he held until the end of 2024, and subsequently became Warden 3 at Georgia State Prison in 2025. GPS records attribute 15 deaths to facility-leader tenures held by Ivey—all at Hancock State Prison—spanning his time as Deputy Warden and Interim Warden. During those years, the prison saw a pattern of homicides and violent incidents, and Ivey has been named as a defendant in several federal lawsuits alleging constitutional violations.What Happened on Their Watch
Deputy Warden of Security, Hancock State Prison (2010)
Ivey’s first leadership posting as Deputy Warden of Security at Hancock State Prison during the 2010 calendar year. The GPS sample of deaths does not include any fatalities from this period; no deaths are recorded under Ivey’s name for that stint.Correction Administration (2015)
Ivey held a central staff role in correctional administration, not tied to a specific facility. This position carried no facility-level accountability for in-custody deaths.Deputy Warden, Hancock State Prison (2016–2022)
As Deputy Warden over a seven-year stretch, Ivey’s tenure coincided with 11 of the 15 deaths attributed to his leadership, all documented in the GPS sample from March 2020 onward. The first was Cesar Arnold Pastrana, 33, who died of a stab wound to the chest on March 13, 2020. In December of that year, Xaysana Thao, 40, died (cause category undetermined in available records). The following year brought four more deaths: Rashad Bolton, 29, died of a puncture wound to the chest with a sharp object on January 4, 2021; Dwayne Zackery, 22, died of a stab wound with a homemade knife on February 12; Michael Anthony Brown, 54, in June; and Terrill Bernard Howard, 51, in October. In 2022, Charles Tristen McKee, 24, was stabbed 13 times in the back and head on May 23; Antione Lamar Bush, 32, died in June; Terry Lee Bishop, 49, died in October from blunt force trauma combined with drug toxicity; Zackery Phillip Brown, 39, in December; and Norman Jackson Samples, 59, died from blunt force injuries of the head and torso on December 27.The death of McKee drew particular scrutiny. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation revealed that family litigation alleged he was placed in a dorm with known gang members hostile to LGBTQ inmates and that staff failed to act on his repeated requests to be moved. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation later found that McKee tried to escape gang members by jumping through stair railings to a lower floor, but the attack continued. Another prisoner who attempted to intervene was seriously wounded. The AJC also reported that a claim was filed against the state alleging Francisco Melgar-Saldivar (whose death occurred after Ivey became Interim Warden) was denied proper medical care following an assault.
Separately, during Ivey’s tenure as Deputy Warden, inmate Amanuel Selassie Geberyesus died by suicide in March 2019. The AJC reported that Geberyesus had expressed suicidal thoughts and was placed in a regular cell contrary to a counselor’s advice; the state later paid $600,000 to settle the family’s claim.
Throughout this period, Hancock State Prison grappled with severe understaffing. According to the AJC, more than 70% of correctional officer positions were vacant as of October 2024, leaving only 49 officers for over 1,100 prisoners. Consultants described staffing levels at 20 Georgia prisons as having reached “emergency levels,” making basic protocols impossible to maintain and allowing broken cell locks and gang intimidation to flourish.
Interim Warden, Hancock State Prison (July 2023–December 2024)
Ivey assumed the role of Interim Warden in mid-2023. During his watch as the facility’s lead administrator, four more deaths were recorded in the GPS sample. Francisco Melgar-Saldivar, 26, was strangled to death on August 12, 2023; the AJC documented that his death certificate listed strangulation and blunt force injuries. Five days later, Timothy Dale Hicks, 37, died. In October 2024, Ralph Thompson, 53, and Travon Montrell Walthour, 29, both died; Walthour was stabbed to death, according to local media and the Human & Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia. A September 2024 gang assault at the prison, in which seven prisoners were disciplined for attacking an inmate, was also reported by the AJC. The AJC and a 2024 DOJ report described a culture of indifference and gang-run violence inside Georgia prisons, with Hancock holding one of the highest officer vacancy rates in the system.Warden 3, Georgia State Prison (2025–present)
Ivey was promoted to Warden 3 and assigned to Georgia State Prison in 2025. To date, GPS records do not attribute any in-custody deaths to his leadership at this facility. A notable event during his wardenship was the exoneration and release of Marquez Powell in June 2026 after DNA evidence vacated his conviction. Georgia State Prison has a long history of violence and litigation—including a 2020 death of Brandon Peters that resulted in a $750,000 settlement and allegations of brutal conditions detailed in The Georgia Virtue—but those incidents occurred before Ivey’s arrival.Litigation
Ivey has been named as a defendant in multiple lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (GAMD):- Garrison v. Ivey, 5:23-cv-00348 (GAMD), filed September 13, 2023, terminated February 12, 2025.
- Ballard v. Ivey, 5:24-cv-00377 (GAMD), filed October 16, 2024, terminated November 7, 2024.
- Ballard v. Ivey, 5:25-cv-00130 (GAMD), filed April 1, 2025, terminated June 25, 2025.
- Jones v. Holt, 5:25-cv-00271 (GAMD), filed June 25, 2025, pending.
- Spradlin v. Toby, 5:23-cv-00328 (GAMD), filed August 29, 2023, pending.
- Grant v. Ward, 5:22-cv-00396 (GAMD), filed November 7, 2022, terminated August 28, 2025.
- Grant v. Washington, 5:21-cv-00427 (GAMD), filed December 1, 2021, terminated September 16, 2022.
- Tilman v. Sellers, 5:15-cv-00085 (GAMD), filed March 13, 2015, terminated February 9, 2016.
No settlement amounts are recorded for any of these matters in the available data.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple homicide investigations and reports on Hancock State Prison deaths, staffing shortages, and the DOJ’s findings (including McKee, Melgar-Saldivar, Geberyesus, and facility conditions)
- 13WMAZ / Human & Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia — reporting on Travon Walthour’s fatal stabbing
- The Georgia Virtue — allegations of solitary confinement, lack of care, and violence at Georgia State Prison
- U.S. Department of Justice — investigation into McKee’s death and broader pattern of violence in Georgia prisons
- Court records (U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia) — lawsuits naming Ivey as a defendant
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 3 | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| Interim Warden | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2023-07-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2023-01-01 → 2023-06-30 | |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Deputy Warden of Security | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2010-01-01 → 2010-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25-cv-00271 | GAMD | 2025-06-25 | pending |
| 5:25-cv-00130 | GAMD | 2025-04-01 | terminated |
| 5:24-cv-00377 | GAMD | 2024-10-16 | terminated |
| 5:23-cv-00348 | GAMD | 2023-09-13 | terminated |
| 5:23-cv-00328 | GAMD | 2023-08-29 | pending |
| 5:22-cv-00396 | GAMD | 2022-11-07 | terminated |
| 5:21-cv-00427 | GAMD | 2021-12-01 | terminated |
| 5:15-cv-00085 | GAMD | 2015-03-13 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
15 people died at facilities under Ivey, George's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-13 | TRAVON MONTRELL WALTHOUR | 29 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Interim Warden |
| 2024-10-08 | RALPH THOMPSON | 53 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Interim Warden |
| 2023-08-22 | TIMOTHY DALE HICKS | 37 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Interim Warden |
| 2023-08-12 | FRANCISCO MELGAR-SALDIVAR | 26 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Interim Warden |
| 2022-12-27 | NORMAN JACKSON SAMPLES | 59 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-12-23 | ZACKERY PHILLIP BROWN | 39 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-10-18 | TERRY LEE BISHOP | 49 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-06-18 | ANTIONE LAMAR BUSH | 32 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-05-23 | CHARLES TRISTEN MCKEE | 24 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-10-17 | TERRILL BERNARD HOWARD | 51 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-06-26 | MICHAEL ANTHONY BROWN | 54 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-02-12 | DWAYNE ZACKERY | 22 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-01-04 | RASHAD BOLTON | 29 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2020-12-20 | XAYSANA THAO | 40 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2020-03-13 | CESAR ARNOLD PASTRANA | 33 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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