Jackson, Tarra L Tomlin

Tenure Summary

Tarra L Tomlin Jackson entered the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a Behavioral Health Counselor (WL), holding counseling and supervisory counseling roles through 2017, then serving as a Correctional Unit Manager from 2018 to 2020; no facility is listed for those years in the salary records GPS reviewed. In 2021 she moved into facility leadership as Deputy Warden at Washington State Prison in Davisboro, a post the position records list her holding continuously from 2021 through 2025, with 2026 death records continuing to name Deputy Warden as her role at the facility.

Per GPS's attribution analysis, 41 deaths are attributed to her leadership tenure — all 41 at Washington State Prison. One federal lawsuit, Ridley v. Jackson, named her as a defendant during her Deputy Warden tenure; it was filed June 24, 2022 and terminated October 13, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, with no recorded settlement amount. Her tenure overlaps the DOJ's 2024 findings on Georgia prisons and the January 2026 riot at the facility.

What happened on their watch

Washington State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2021–present (41 deaths attributed).

The earliest deaths in the attributed record are from 2022: David Terry Melton, 25 (January 5); Larry Elmo Laroche, 63 (March 28); Omar Sheffield Lashley, 51 (April 11); Marquis Reshawn Jefferson, 26, who died May 12 from stab wounds to the torso and arm, with an incident report listing four other inmates involved; Michael Lee Jackson, 60, who died August 17 from multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with two other inmates named in an incident report; Phillip Rutledge, 72 (October 6); Jason Shayne Speed, 45 (November 23); and William A. Brooks, 67 (November 25). Deaths recorded in 2023 include Sharod Farran Johnson, 31; Charles Craig Williamson, 55; Jimmy Lee Rucker, 53; Garrett Lee Bailey, 39; James Michael Jenkins, 61; and Ronald Wayne Kidd, 61.

In 2024, the attributed deaths include Jimmy Lee Reed, 66 (April 2); Jacob Cole Henson, 31, who died April 23 of multiple gunshot wounds after a fight with a GDC officer who had transported him to a hospital for treatment of a stabbing earlier that day, according to the AJC; Johntavis Jermaine Kellom, 36 (May 2); Torrey Wayne Forrester, 41 (July 1); and Devonte Tiger Williams, 26, who died August 9 from multiple sharp force injuries to the torso, head and neck, per court records cited by GPS. That year the U.S. Department of Justice found Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked deadly violence, widespread drug use, extortion and sexual abuse at state lockups, and described sophisticated gangs running prison black markets — findings reported in coverage of the facility. In September 2024, federal authorities alleged that inmate Jeffery White ran a methamphetamine network from Washington State Prison that distributed more than 200 pounds of crystal meth in Volusia County, Florida.

Deaths recorded across 2025 include Dontavious Carter (January 7), Robert Washington (January 14), Yoncey Jallah, 49 (April 23), Lamontez Winkfield, 22 (May 11), Michael Lareco Daniel, 44 (June 20), William Earl Long, 52 (July 16), Darrin Gresham, 60 (August 8), Wayne Krier, 77 (November 5), Benjamin Horne, 51 (December 15) and Taylor Allen Howard, 66 (December 16). A separate GPS event record describes the January 2025 death of Dontavis Carter, found dead in a pool of blood, as documented by contraband phone video. Former inmate Jamie Shahan was reported beaten repeatedly and placed on life support in January–February 2025. On November 25, 2025, reporting described a staffing crisis at Dooly and Washington State Prisons in which housing units went without an officer for hours or entire shifts.

The largest single incident on her watch was the January 11–12, 2026 disturbance. Per GDC and news accounts, a gang-affiliated fight that began among inmates and spilled into a visitation area killed Teddy Jackson, 27; Ahmod Hatcher, 23; and Jimmy Trammell, 42, who reporting said had 72 hours left on his sentence, and injured 13 other inmates and one officer. A GDC response to a GPS open records request showed six officers were on duty at the facility that day. Silas Westbrook, 42, injured in the disturbance, died January 17 upon arrival at the Metro Reentry Facility. Twelve inmates were charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, gang participation and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution. GPS event records also contain entries describing a fifth, unnamed death connected to the riot; GDC confirmations cited four. Later 2026 deaths recorded include Dajhmere Hall, 30 (January 9), Frank Smith, 75 (May 6), Deshawn Poole, 34 (June 9), Courtney Davis, 43 (June 13) and Isreal Moses Jones, 68 (June 14); GDC's Office of Professional Standards is investigating the Davis and Jones deaths.

Other allegations logged during her tenure at Washington State Prison: a family report of an approximately 50-day lockdown after the riots with commissary withheld from the general population (February 2026); family reports of mold, rusted bunks, rats, inadequate medical care, commissary restrictions and last-minute visitation cancellations (March 2026); a report that legal mail was held roughly eight working days beyond the maximum window under GDC SOP 227.06 (May 2026); and a federal indictment, announced May 2026, alleging Luis Alfonso Ramirez directed a drug trafficking network from the prison using contraband cellphones — an HSI/GBI operation that seized 35 kg of methamphetamine and 3.5 kg of fentanyl valued at $225,000 plus $145,000 in cash. Former inmates quoted by 13WMAZ alleged gangs dominated daily life, that staff failed to intervene in life-threatening situations, and that the riot was the predictable result of understaffing and neglect; State Rep. Billy Hitchens told 41NBC the system had made no meaningful progress on jamming or disabling cell-door locks. All of these are allegations by their named sources, not findings against Jackson.

Litigation

• Ridley v. Jackson, No. 5:22-cv-00229, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia — filed June 24, 2022; terminated October 13, 2022; no outcome amount recorded. Filed while Jackson held the Deputy Warden role at Washington State Prison.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — deaths at Washington State Prison, DOJ findings, Henson shooting, the 2026 murder charges and riot coverage
• CourtListener docket — Ridley v. Jackson, 5:22-cv-00229 (GAMD)
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 civil rights findings on Georgia prisons ("deliberately indifferent")
• 13WMAZ — former-inmate accounts of gangs, violence and understaffing; 12 charged in the 2026 riot
• WGXA — Ramirez drug-trafficking indictment, Trammell family statements, fourth-death confirmation
• 11Alive and WFXL — GDC statements on the gang-affiliated 2026 disturbance
• 41NBC — Rep. Hitchens on cell-door locks; DOJ findings; fourth-death update
• GPS case submissions and event records — family reports on lockdown, mail, food and facility conditions; staffing-crisis reporting; GDC open records response on officer counts

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 23, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.