Jackson, Tarra L Tomlin

Tenure Summary

Tarra L Tomlin Jackson's GDC career began in behavioral health. She worked as a behavioral health counselor from 2015 through 2017, then as a Correctional Unit Manager from 2018 through 2020; none of those positions carry a facility assignment in the records. In 2021 she became Deputy Warden at Washington State Prison, a role she held through 2025, and on July 16, 2026 she took the position of Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at the same prison. Her personnel status is listed as active.

The registry attributes 29 deaths to her leadership tenures, all 29 at Washington State Prison. One lawsuit naming her as a defendant, Ridley v. Jackson, was filed in 2022 and terminated the same year.

What happened on their watch

Washington State Prison — Deputy Warden (2021–2025)

All 25 of the most recent deaths recorded during Jackson's leadership were recorded while she held the Deputy Warden role at Washington State Prison. They span August 2022 to December 2025:

• Taylor Allen Howard died December 16, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 66.
• Benjamin Horne died December 15, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 51.
• Wayne Krier died November 5, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 77.
• Darrin Gresham died August 8, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 60 — GPS does not yet know the cause.
• William Earl Long died July 16, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Accident, age 52.
• Michael Lareco Daniel died June 20, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 44.
• Lamontez Winkfield died May 11, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 22.
• Yoncey Jallah died April 23, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 49.
• Robert Washington died January 14, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical.
• Dontavious Carter died January 7, 2025, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide.
• Devonte Tiger Williams died August 9, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 26.
• Torrey Wayne Forrester died July 1, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 41.
• Johntavis Jermaine Kellom died May 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 36.
• Jacob Cole Henson died April 23, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Use of Force, age 31.
• Jimmy Lee Reed died April 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 66.
• Ronald Wayne Kidd died October 30, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 61.
• James Michael Jenkins died July 10, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 61.
• Sharod Farran Johnson died June 26, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 31.
• Jimmy Lee Rucker died June 20, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 53.
• Charles Craig Williamson died June 20, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 55.
• Garrett Lee Bailey died June 12, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 39.
• William A Brooks died November 25, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 67.
• Jason Shayne Speed died November 23, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Other, age 45.
• Phillip Rutledge died October 6, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 72.
• Michael Lee Jackson died August 17, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 60.

Separately, facility-level records from this tenure include the deaths of Devonte Tiger Williams (sharp force injuries, August 2024), Michael Lee Jackson (blunt force injuries, August 2022) and Marquis Reshawn Jefferson (stab wounds, May 2022). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported — in an item recorded in January 2025 — that a GDC officer fatally shot Jacob Cole Henson during a fight at a hospital while transporting him for treatment. A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report found Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked deadly violence, drug use, extortion and sexual abuse, with gangs running prison black markets. Other incident records from the tenure include a staffing collapse in November 2025 in which, per those records, many housing units at Washington State Prison and Dooly State Prison had no officer present for hours or entire shifts; repeated attacks on Jamie Shahan that left him on life support; reports of systemic gang activity, drone contraband drops and alleged staff complicity; blue water contamination with inmate Veronica Stewart reporting rashes and stomach issues; and a meth distribution network run from the prison by Jeffery White. Records also note Veronica Stewart's promotion to Warden in June 2024 and Tamara Grier's appointment as Deputy Warden of Security in November 2025.

Washington State Prison — Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (from July 16, 2026)

Internal intelligence and monitored inmate communications dated July 2026 and tied to this role allege several 2026 deaths at Washington State Prison: a melee in January 2026 after which at least seven people were reported dead; a stabbing death in administrative segregation; and an assault causing a fatal head injury that surveillance allegedly failed to record. One monitored conversation said a statewide lockdown at Washington State Prison, Dooly, Macon, Smith and Wilcox was linked to a Bloods gang conflict. These are allegations from those communications, not confirmed findings.

Litigation

• Ridley v. Jackson, No. 5:22-cv-00229, court records show it was filed June 24, 2022 and terminated October 13, 2022; no outcome amount is recorded.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — report on the fatal shooting of Jacob Cole Henson during transport to a hospital
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on violence and gang activity in Georgia prisons
• Court records (CourtListener docket) — Ridley v. Jackson, 5:22-cv-00229
• Internal intelligence and monitored inmate communications cited in GPS facility files for Washington State Prison
• GPS death registry — causes and dates for the deaths listed above

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 11, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.