Jackson, Tarra L Tomlin

Tenure Summary

Tarra L. Tomlin Jackson joined the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a behavioral health counselor, progressed through supervisory counseling roles, and transitioned to correctional unit management by 2018. She has served as Deputy Warden at Washington State Prison (Davisboro, Georgia) continuously from 2021 through at least 2025, per GPS records. During her tenure in that role, GPS records attribute 37 deaths at Washington State Prison to her period of oversight — spanning cause categories that include homicide, natural/medical causes, and at least one suicide. The most acute episode was a January 2026 riot that killed four incarcerated people and injured at least twelve others. One federal lawsuit was filed against her by name during her tenure.

What Happened on Their Watch

Washington State Prison — Deputy Warden, 2021–present

GPS records attribute 37 deaths at Washington State Prison to the period of Jackson's tenure as Deputy Warden. The homicide toll is substantial: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation documents at least four killings with specific cause-of-death findings — Marquis Reshawn Jefferson (May 2022, stab wounds to torso and arm, age 26), Michael Lee Jackson (August 2022, multiple blunt force injuries, age 60), Jacob Cole Henson (April 2024, multiple gunshot wounds, age 31), and Devonte Tiger Williams (August 2024, multiple sharp force injuries to torso, head, and neck, age 26). Per the AJC, Henson was fatally shot by a GDC officer during a fight at a hospital while being transported for medical treatment. GPS records also list Dontavious Carter (January 2025, homicide by puncture wound to the heart) and Michael Lareco Daniel (June 2025, homicide) among the deaths. The remaining deaths fall into categories GPS records classify as natural/other causes, with decedents ranging in age from their twenties to their seventies.

The most acute mass-casualty event of Jackson's tenure occurred on January 11, 2026, when a riot broke out during visitation hours. Three inmates — Teddy Dewayne Jackson (27), Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher (23), and Jimmy Lee Trammell (42) — were killed at the scene or shortly after, per GDC statements reported by the AJC, 11Alive, 13WMAZ, WGXA, and 41NBC. A fourth death followed on January 17, 2026, when Silas Rodrigioeuz Westbrook (42) died after being transferred to Metro Reentry Facility; a GPS user report alleges lack of proper medical care contributed to his death following a stab wound sustained in the riot, citing WMAZ as its source. The facility was placed on continuous lockdown following the riot, per GPS family reports, with one report indicating the lockdown persisted for approximately 50 days. On April 28, 2026, GDC confirmed that 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 and 13WMAZ. GDC characterized the disturbance as gang-affiliated, per 11Alive, 13WMAZ, WGXA, and the AJC, though that characterization is described as suspected.

On February 17, 2026 — while the facility remained on lockdown — GPS records show three additional deaths: two individuals (listed as John Doe and John Doe 2) whose deaths a GPS user report alleges occurred when "two men apparently killed each other in the hole," with the report questioning officer presence; and a third individual (John Doe 3) whose death a GPS user report attributes to suicide by hanging.

Multiple intel reports document systemic allegations at Washington State Prison overlapping Jackson's tenure. The AJC reported allegations that buildings with maintenance failures enabled prisoners to strip materials for weapons, that locks did not function properly allowing cell escapes, and that understaffing left movements unmonitored. Former inmates identified only as Earl White and Brandon alleged to 13WMAZ, respectively, chronic staffing shortages, overcrowded dorms with no programming, gang dominance, and daily weapon use with no staff intervention. A 2024 DOJ report, cited by 41NBC, found Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked violence, drug use, extortion, and sexual abuse statewide. State Rep. Billy Hitchens alleged, per 41NBC, that the prison system has made no meaningful progress on cell-door lock vulnerabilities. A GPS family report dated May 2026 alleges that legal mail delivered to Washington State Prison on April 25, 2026 had not reached an incarcerated person as of May 9, 2026 — a delay the report states exceeds the SOP-permitted verification window by approximately eight working days.

Litigation

• Ridley v. Jackson, No. 5:22-cv-00229 (U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia) — filed June 24, 2022; terminated October 13, 2022. Jackson named as defendant while serving as Deputy Warden at Washington State Prison. No settlement amount recorded in GPS records.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (multiple homicide cause-of-death records, 2022–2024); January 2026 riot coverage; April 2026 murder charges reporting
• 13WMAZ — January 2026 riot coverage; former inmate accounts; April 2026 charges reporting
• 11Alive — January 2026 riot and gang-affiliation allegation reporting
• WGXA — January 2026 riot coverage; Jimmy Trammell family allegation
• 41NBC — January 2026 riot coverage; DOJ 2024 findings; Rep. Hitchens allegation
• WFXL — April 2026 inmate charges reporting
• GPS records — deaths-during-tenure database; user/family intel 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; case submissions #76, #85); positions/salary records
• CourtListener — Ridley v. Jackson, No. 5:22-cv-00229 (GAMD)

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.