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McDaniel, Derrick B
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 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
Derrick B. McDaniel ascended through the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections, beginning his career as a Correctional Officer in 2015. He held positions as Sergeant and Lieutenant before being promoted to Correctional Unit Manager in 2021. In 2022, McDaniel was appointed Deputy Warden of Macon State Prison, a facility-level leadership role he has held continuously through 2025. GPS records show that 69 deaths are attributed to Macon State Prison during McDaniel’s tenure as Deputy Warden. This period coincides with a Department of Justice investigation, multiple homicide investigations, and news reports describing critical understaffing and pervasive violence at the facility.What happened on their watch
McDaniel has served as Deputy Warden at Macon State Prison since 2022. During his tenure, 69 deaths have been attributed to the facility. The decedents range in age from 25 to 77. GPS records and official GDC data document deaths spanning several cause categories, including homicides, suicides, and undetermined causes.According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation, multiple homicides occurred at Macon State Prison during McDaniel’s watch. In 2022, James Cornelius McLeroy, 26, died from stab wounds to the torso, and GPS records note the incident report listed two other prisoners involved as gang members. Taurean Hardy, 41, died in December 2023 after an altercation with his cellmate, per the DOJ report. In 2024, homicides included Reginald Ginn, 31, who died from blunt force head trauma; Devontae Young, 28, from sharp force chest trauma; and Mathis Ward, 37, who was assaulted with a homemade sharp instrument. Kenneth Malcom, 38, died from sharp force trauma to his head, neck, and torso. Shannon Pickett, 48, died from exsanguination and sharp force trauma.
The violence continued into 2025. Jonathan Mitchell died from head trauma; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he was beaten by a fellow prisoner using a “foot, knee and fist.” Sanchez Jackson’s death in June was described by an investigator to his sister as a rumored gang attack, per the AJC. At least three homicides occurred in August 2025 alone, including Pierre Cedric Scott, 41, who GPS records indicate was killed by his cellmate in a restrictive housing unit. Suicides were also recorded, including Calvin Earl Noble, 25, who died by hanging in a tier 2 dorm cell, per a direct source report to GPS.
Allegations and documented reports from news outlets during this period point to severe operational strain. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that about two-thirds of correctional officer jobs at Macon State Prison were unfilled as of October 2024, with the Macon County coroner stating only five to eight officers staffed the entire facility when responding to deaths. The AJC further described that low staffing allowed gangs to exert influence and that poorly maintained facilities made it easy for prisoners to make shanks. A U.S. Department of Justice report in October 2024 described horrific conditions where assaults, stabbings, and rapes had become routine at woefully understaffed Georgia prisons. Other reported incidents contemporaneous with McDaniel’s tenure include the arrest of four correctional officers at the facility on oath violation and false statement charges in September 2024, and a federal case in which inmate Devito Duran Young pleaded guilty to directing a fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoid trafficking scheme from Macon State Prison using a contraband cellphone.
Litigation
No lawsuits naming Derrick B. McDaniel as a defendant were found in GPS records. However, a federal lawsuit filed over the July 2020 strangulation death of Bobby Edward Lee Jr. at Macon State Prison, which predates McDaniel's leadership, alleged the death resulted from understaffing and indifference by prison officials, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In January 2025, the Southern Center for Human Rights filed a lawsuit against Macon State Prison over inadequate bedding and hygiene conditions, revealing 96 inmates were sharing a single toilet.Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — multiple homicide investigations, DOJ report findings, and staffing reports during McDaniel’s 2022–2025 tenure at Macon State Prison
- 13WMAZ — reporting on drug trafficking operations coordinated from Macon State Prison
- Ftp.nestcollaborative.com — report on the arrest of four correctional officers at Macon State Prison
- Solitary Watch — historical allegation regarding conditions at Macon State Prison
- U.S. Department of Justice — October 2024 report on prison conditions in Georgia
- GDC official data — mortality report entries and appointment announcements
- GPS records — Georgia Prisoners' Speak death tracking and intel reports
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | MACON STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → present |
| CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
69 people died at facilities under McDaniel, Derrick B's leadership.
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