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Mitchell, Rashedah Fayola
Status: active
Profile written June 21, 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
Rashedah Fayola Mitchell began her Georgia Department of Corrections career in 2006 as a correctional officer at Baldwin State Prison before spending more than a decade moving through behavioral-health counselor roles. In February 2026, Mitchell was appointed Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Hancock State Prison — the only leadership-tier position she has held. GPS records attribute three deaths to Hancock during her tenure: three incarcerated men died in the first two months she held the deputy warden post. No lawsuits name Mitchell personally as a defendant.What happened on their watch
Mitchell became Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Hancock State Prison on February 1, 2026. Within the first five days, Jaylin Bell, 32, was killed by his cellmate on February 6; the death certificate lists homicide. Twelve days later, Jerrod Johnson, 27, was fatally stabbed around 4:45 p.m. and died before EMS crews arrived, according to a GPS user report. On April 7, Jacorey Derrelle Pearson, 36, died; the GDC has not released a cause of death, and the GBI crime lab was asked to determine it. All three deaths fall under cause category 3 — homicides — and each is being investigated by the GDC Office of Professional Standards, per GDC statements.Mitchell assumed the deputy warden role as Hancock State Prison was already the focus of alarming findings. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that Hancock had a 73.5 percent correctional officer vacancy rate, leaving about 49 officers for more than 1,100 prisoners; consultants found that staffing vacancies at 20 of Georgia’s 34 prisons had reached “emergency levels,” making basic safety protocols impossible. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation, cited by the AJC, described systemic violence and sexual assaults inside Georgia prisons. The same reporting documented a September 2024 gang assault at Hancock, a January 2025 gang-related brawl that left two prisoners dead, and multiple homicide investigations. Although those incidents occurred before Mitchell’s tenure, the conditions they reflect — chronic understaffing, broken cell locks, gang influence — persisted while she held the deputy warden role and were cited by advocates as factors in ongoing violence.
Litigation
No lawsuits in GPS records name Rashedah Fayola Mitchell as a defendant.Sources
- GPS records — death entries for Jacorey Derrelle Pearson, Jerrod Johnson, and Jaylin Bell at Hancock State Prison.
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — reporting on staffing shortages, gang violence, DOJ findings, and homicide convictions at Hancock State Prison.
- 41NBC — reporting on Jaylin Bell’s death.
- 13WMAZ — allegations of shanking incidents at Baldwin State Prison (background context for Mitchell’s earlier posting).
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2026-02-01 → present |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | 2019-01-01 → present | |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR 3 | 2016-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Behavioral Health Counselor | 2011-01-01 → 2011-12-31 | |
| Correctional Officer | BALDWIN STATE PRISON | 2006-01-01 → 2006-12-31 |
Deaths attributed during tenure
3 people died at facilities under Mitchell, Rashedah Fayola's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-07 | JACOREY DERRELLE PEARSON | 36 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment |
| 2026-02-18 | JERROD JOHNSON | 27 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment |
| 2026-02-06 | JAYLIN BELL | 32 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment |
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