Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Powell, Beau J
Powell, Beau J
Status: active
Profile written June 14, 2026
Salary
$71,775
2025 · state payroll
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
Beau J. Powell began employment with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Business Support Analyst 1 in 2019, a role he held without a facility assignment through 2022. In 2023, he was promoted to Deputy Warden at Whitworth Women’s Facility, a post he has retained. GPS records attribute 1 death to leadership tenures held by Powell. That death occurred at Whitworth Women’s Facility in January 2025. The only lawsuit naming Powell as a defendant was filed in 2021 and is unrelated to corrections operations.What happened on their watch
Whitworth Women’s Facility — Deputy Warden (2023–present) During Powell’s tenure as deputy warden, one in-custody death was recorded at the facility. On January 10, 2025, Rhianna Woods died. According to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s case file (25-0059), the manner of death was an accident, and the cause was acute drug (benzodiazepine) intoxication. The record notes that Woods reportedly ingested an unknown substance on the evening of January 8, 2025, subsequently experienced seizures, and was admitted with benzodiazepines in her blood; she died of respiratory failure. GPS records list the place of death as Whitworth Women’s Facility, but the medical examiner’s report places Woods at the Metro Reentry Facility in DeKalb County. GPS administrative notes indicate a hypothesis that the Georgia Department of Corrections may effect a technical administrative transfer of an inmate to Metro when the inmate is near death or transported to an Atlanta-area hospital, even if the person never physically arrives at Metro. No allegations of misconduct by Powell, nor any news reports, intelligence bulletins, or other corrections-related litigation, have been identified in connection with Woods’s death or his time at Whitworth.Litigation
- In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202, No. 1:21-mi-55555, filed December 23, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The case challenges provisions of Georgia’s 2021 voting law and names Powell among a large group of defendants. It is pending and does not pertain to the Georgia Department of Corrections or the death at Whitworth Women’s Facility.
Sources
- GPS personnel and facility records — Powell’s position history, death-tracking data, and administrative notes on Rhianna Woods.
- DeKalb County Medical Examiner case 25-0059 (ORR intake 20260608-0ac9c823) — cause and manner of Woods’s death, facility discrepancy.
- CourtListener docket — In Re Georgia Senate Bill 202, case status and filing details.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | WHITWORTH WOMEN’S FACILITY | 2023-01-01 → present |
| BUSI SUPPORT ANALYST 1 | 2019-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:21-mi-55555 | GAND | 2021-12-23 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
1 people died at facilities under Powell, Beau J's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-10 | Rhianna Woods | — | WHITWORTH WOMEN’S FACILITY | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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