Major, LEE

Tenure Summary

Lee Major rose through the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections from a correctional officer at Burruss Correctional Training Center in 2010 to the facility’s Deputy Warden of Security at Dooly State Prison, a post he has held since January 2025. GPS records attribute a total of 11 deaths to Dooly State Prison during his tenure as a deputy warden, all occurring after his appointment to that leadership role. Two federal lawsuits name Major as a defendant—one filed during his time as a lieutenant at Burruss and another dating to his tactical squad assignment at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison—though both cases terminated without a publicly reported monetary judgment.

What happened on their watch

Metro Reentry Facility (Sergeant, 2017; Lieutenant, 2018)
GPS records show no deaths attributed to Lee Major’s tenure as a sergeant or lieutenant at the Metro Reentry Facility. No lawsuits or intelligence reports link him to incidents at that facility during those years.

Burruss Correctional Training Center (Lieutenant, 2019–2021)
No deaths are attributed to Major’s time as a lieutenant at Burruss. A federal lawsuit, Dorsey v. Lee, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia on December 7, 2021, while Major held that post; the case terminated in November 2024 with no recorded settlement amount.

Special Management Unit (Lieutenant, 2022; Captain, 2023; Unit Manager, 2024)
Major served in three supervisory roles at the SMU over three years. No deaths during his tenure there appear in the GPS database, though the SMU has been the subject of broader systemic allegations—including the DOJ’s findings of unconstitutional conditions, falsified review hearings, and the high-profile case of inmate Arthur Lee Cofield Jr., who used a contraband phone to steal $11 million. Major is not named in those reports.

Dooly State Prison (Deputy Warden, Jan. 1–15, 2025; Deputy Warden of Security, Jan. 16, 2025–present)
All 11 of the deaths attributed to Major’s leadership occurred at Dooly. The first was recorded on January 12, 2025, when Joshua Parrott, 45, died of strangulation; GDC’s own January 2025 mortality report listed the cause as “Homicide due to Strangulation.” Six additional deaths followed through April 2026, including those of Horatio Philmore (alleged homicide per prisoner reports) and Darrow Brown, whom a user report says was stabbed to death by a gang member while being escorted by an officer. The remaining deaths carry cause categories that GPS records classify as undetermined or natural/drug overdose based on prisoner accounts, though official causes remain unpublished.

The deputy warden of security’s tenure unfolded amid a cascade of violence and dysfunction at the prison. During the first four months of 2026 alone, GPS and news reports document at least three gang-related fights that hospitalized multiple inmates, prompting a statewide lockdown of all GDC facilities on May 22, 2026. A corrections cadet was arrested in December 2025 after attempting to smuggle 640 grams of methamphetamine into Dooly, and a inmate, Abraham Rivas, was charged in April 2026 with operating a phone-fraud scheme from inside the prison, allegedly with the knowledge of staff. Systemic reports indicate Dooly was operating at 212% of its original design capacity with a 50% correctional officer vacancy rate, conditions that multiple news outlets have tied to the security breakdowns. Allegations filed with GPS include a report that a nurse was used as a human shield during an incident, and anonymous public comments on Facebook claimed the commissary was severely understocked for weeks, leading to inmate deprivation.

Litigation

• Dorsey v. Lee, No. 5:21-cv-00435 (M.D. Ga., filed Dec. 7, 2021, terminated Nov. 7, 2024) – No monetary outcome recorded.
• Mccarthian v. Melton, No. 1:11-cv-02654 (N.D. Ga., filed Aug. 10, 2011, terminated Sept. 10, 2014) – No monetary outcome recorded.

Sources

• GPS internal death records and personnel database – career timeline, death counts, and incident listings
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (via CourtListener) – Dorsey v. Lee
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (via CourtListener) – Mccarthian v. Melton
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution – multiple reports on Dooly conditions, understaffing, and security failures (e.g., “Prison system failures cost Georgia taxpayers millions,” “Georgia prisons in crisis,” and homicide list)
• WGXA – reports on meth smuggling and gang fights at Dooly
• 13WMAZ – gang-related fight at Dooly
• WALB – inmate fraud scheme at Dooly
• Georgia Public Broadcasting – allegation of medical neglect contributing to death at Dooly
• Wesh.com / News-JournalOnline.com – inmate fraud scheme at Dooly

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jul 26, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.