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Payne, James Oneal
On GDC's 2025 payroll
Profile written September 27, 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
James Oneal Payne's recorded career with the Georgia Department of Corrections runs from a Correction Administration post in 2015 (salary $54,408.24) into facility leadership: he is listed as Correctional Superintendent in 2016, then as Warden 1 at Burruss C.T.C. for four consecutive years, 2017 through 2020, with salary rising from $73,752.00 to $76,731.60. He moved into regional and central administration afterward — Assistant Region Director from 2021 through 2023 ($81,160.96 to $92,000.16), then Deputy Director in 2024 and 2025 ($112,096.74 to $123,000.00) — and has held the title Deputy Director of Facilities Administration/Support since June 2024. His status is listed as active, with no conflicting status source recorded.
GPS records show no deaths attributed to facility-leader tenures held by James Oneal Payne. The attributed death total for his leadership tenure is zero and the per-facility breakdown is empty, and no intel reports or intel events are recorded against his facilities during his tenure. His career history is documented in the Positions table below.
One federal civil matter names him while he was serving in a central administrative role: Jean Pierre v. Payne, case 1:24-cv-02646, filed June 17, 2024 in the court recorded as GAND, terminated August 30, 2024, with no outcome amount recorded. The available records do not state the claims raised in that filing, so no characterization of its substance is made here.
Litigation
- Jean Pierre v. Payne, case 1:24-cv-02646 — filed June 17, 2024; court recorded as GAND; terminated August 30, 2024; no monetary outcome recorded. Filed while Payne held a Deputy Director title (per court records; docket via CourtListener).
Sources
- CourtListener docket — Jean Pierre v. Payne, 1:24-cv-02646, filed June 17, 2024, terminated August 30, 2024
- Georgia Department of Corrections position and salary records — Payne's titles, facility assignment (Burruss C.T.C.) and annual salaries, 2015–2025
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR | 2024-01-01 → present | |
| Deputy Director of Facilities Administration/Support | 2024-06-01 → present | |
| ASSISTANT REGION DIRECTOR | 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| WARDEN 1 | BURRUSS C.T.C | 2017-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:24-cv-02646 | GAND | 2024-06-17 | terminated |
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