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Jackson, Kendric
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
Kendric Jackson began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Smith State Prison in 2015 and rose steadily through the ranks — sergeant, lieutenant, unit manager — before shifting into facility leadership. He served as deputy warden at Dodge State Prison in 2022, deputy warden at Telfair State Prison in 2023, and then warden at Calhoun State Prison from December 2024 through May 2026. In June 2026 he became warden of Valdosta State Prison. Across those four leadership postings, GPS records attribute 22 deaths to the facilities he helped oversee: three at Dodge, eight at Telfair, eight at Calhoun, and three during his first weeks at Valdosta. One of those deaths — the heat-exposure death of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano at Telfair — resulted in a $3.2 million wrongful-death settlement between the man’s family and the State of Georgia, and drew national attention for an officer’s alleged remark, “if he dies, he dies.” Jackson’s tenure at Calhoun also coincided with a major Department of Justice investigation into systemic violence and neglect across Georgia’s prisons.What happened on his watch
Dodge State Prison — Deputy Warden (2022) Jackson served as deputy warden at Dodge during a year in which three incarcerated men died. On June 2, 2022, Douglas Anthony Forts, 57, died after a fight; a coroner’s record notes the death as a homicide stemming from an “unknown — fight w/ another,” and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s homicide investigation later reported the cause as acute traumatic amputation of a finger. On September 14, 2022, Hezekiah Cuyler, 21, died from blunt force trauma to the head after an assault; the coroner ruled the manner homicide. Arnold Merle McDonald, 63, died on December 22, 2022, following a fall and subdural hematoma; the coroner left the manner of death blank. No lawsuits naming Jackson in connection with these deaths are known.Telfair State Prison — Deputy Warden (2023)
Eight men died at Telfair while Jackson was deputy warden. Two deaths were homicides documented by the AJC: Kwesi Jamal Stultz, 24, died December 22 from multiple injuries to the head, and Deahmoz Oshmic Floyd, 29, died April 18 from exsanguination after being stabbed in the neck. The AJC also reported that a claim filed against the state alleged Floyd was attacked by several prisoners when no staff were present in the dorm. On July 20, 2023, 27-year-old Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano was left in an outdoor recreation cage without shade for roughly five hours as the heat index reached about 105°F. He repeatedly asked for help, describing overheating and trouble breathing; a lawsuit filed by his family alleges an officer responded, “if he dies, he dies.” Ramirez arrived at a hospital with a body temperature of 107°F and died. The state later settled with his family for $3.2 million, as reported by 13WMAZ. Five other deaths during Jackson’s Telfair tenure carry cause codes of 6 (other/unclassified) or 1 (natural), including those of Bobby Murray, Walter Rakim Jordan, Clifford Lawrence Bagley, Larry Adams, and Renel Janvier Whitfield.
Calhoun State Prison — Warden (Dec. 2024–May 2026)
Jackson became warden at Calhoun in late 2024 and remained until June 2026. Eight deaths are attributed to that period. Two were homicides: Matthew Len Nutt, 37, died from blunt force trauma on December 21, 2025, and Theodore Roundtree died from sharp force abdominal trauma on January 19, 2025; both autopsies were performed. Several deaths were natural, such as Jimmy McMullen (pancreatic cancer) and Thomas Haugabook (intracranial hemorrhage). The DOJ investigation released in February 2026 cited Calhoun State Prison specifically, noting that an incarcerated person was found dead in a restrictive-housing cell in February 2023 from dehydration with renal failure, and that Kenneth Piper’s death in May 2024 was under investigation. Although those two deaths occurred before Jackson’s wardenship, the DOJ report documented a broader pattern of violence and staff shortages across the system. During Jackson’s tenure, GPS records show a systematic transfer of 87 prisoners serving life sentences out of Calhoun — overwhelmingly to close-security Level 5 facilities — between early 2026 and late March 2026, a mass movement that drew attention.
Valdosta State Prison — Warden (June 2026–present)
Jackson was promoted to warden of Valdosta State Prison on June 1, 2026. Within three weeks, three men died: Antavious Bailey on June 21, Steven Bryant on June 23, and Ramon Ortiz on July 4. The Georgia Department of Corrections’ Office of Professional Standards opened investigations into Bailey’s and Bryant’s deaths, and autopsies were ordered; official causes remained pending. Separately, just days before Jackson’s arrival, seven people were indicted in a large-scale drug trafficking network allegedly operated from Valdosta by an incarcerated man using contraband cellphones, but the criminal conduct at issue predated Jackson’s appointment.
Litigation
- Daker v. Ward (7:20-cv-00113, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, filed June 11, 2020, terminated November 3, 2021). The docket does not disclose an outcome amount.
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order (1:25-cv-03191, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, filed June 6, 2025, terminated March 30, 2026). The docket does not disclose an outcome amount.
Sources
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) personnel and death records
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation, reports on deaths at Dodge, Telfair, and Calhoun
- 13WMAZ — reporting on the $3.2 million settlement for the death of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano and allegations of officer indifference
- U.S. Department of Justice — investigation into the Georgia Department of Corrections (released 2026), including findings on Calhoun State Prison
- Calhoun County Coroner death certificates (obtained via GPS open-records request)
- Dodge County Coroner records (obtained by GPS)
- Court records for Daker v. Ward and Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order (available via CourtListener)
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2026-06-01 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Warden | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2024-12-16 → 2026-05-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-15 | |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | DODGE STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | SMITH TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 1 | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | SMITH STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 7:20-cv-00113 | GAMD | 2020-06-11 | terminated |
| 1:15-cv-00428 | GAND | 2015-02-12 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
22 people died at facilities under Jackson, Kendric's leadership.
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