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Spann, James Clarence
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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 Clarence Spann’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections spans counselor, chief counselor, deputy warden, and warden roles across multiple facilities. His leadership-tenure record — as deputy warden at Autry State Prison and as warden at Burruss Correctional Training Center, Lee State Prison, and Ware State Prison — is documented with a total of 48 deaths attributed to facilities under his command. The heaviest toll occurred at Ware State Prison, where 37 people died during his wardenship between January 2024 and the present. Spann is not named as a defendant in any lawsuit in the GPS database.What happened on their watch
Autry State Prison (Deputy Warden, 2020)
While Spann served as deputy warden, eight deaths were recorded at Autry in 2020. All are classified as unclassified in GPS records, meaning no coroner’s manner or cause is yet available. The decedents ranged in age from 22 to 80: Cordell James Shipman (22), Darren Nicholas Wehrle (32), Mark Ramos (59), Dennis Lee Hammons (62), Richard Office (80), Thomas Edward White (75), James Mitchell Blankenship (67), and Willie J. Bell (68). No lawsuits or major incident reports during this specific tenure appear in the intelligence files.Burruss Correctional Training Center (Warden, 2021–2022)
One death was attributed during Spann’s two years as warden: Robert Carey Seymour, 58, died on March 9, 2022. The cause remains unclassified. No litigation or facility-specific allegations are linked to his time at Burruss.Lee State Prison (Warden, 2023–2024)
Spann moved to Lee State Prison as warden in January 2023 and served through 2024. Two deaths occurred: Daniel Emmett Ivey, 26, on February 15, 2024, and Christopher Aaron Godfrey, 40, on January 16, 2024. Both are unclassified in available records. GPS intelligence files do not contain any facility-level allegations tied to this posting.Ware State Prison (Warden, 2024–present)
The bulk of Spann’s attributed deaths — 37 — were recorded at Ware State Prison during his tenure as warden, which began in January 2024 and continues. According to the Ware County Coroner and GBI Division of Forensic Sciences records, at least nine of these deaths were homicides, many involving sharp‑force injuries, blunt trauma, or ligature strangulation. Examples include:- Leonardo Lamont Anderson (49) — multiple stab wounds (April 20, 2024).
- Squaier Lamar Jiles (35) — exsanguination due to multiple sharp‑force wounds (September 16, 2024).
- David Renfro (43) — multiple blunt and sharp force injuries with ligature strangulation (October 16, 2024).
- Scott Lee Hullander (53) — multiple sharp‑force injuries (December 31, 2024).
- Christopher Henry (48) — blunt force injuries including strangulation (February 12, 2026).
- Kojack Junior Thomas (27) — homicide by blunt head trauma and ligature asphyxia (May 31, 2026).
The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that ten inmates were killed at Ware State Prison between July 2020 and August 2024, with multiple inmates involved in several of the homicides according to GDC incident reports. A separate AJC investigation noted that the GDC publicly described an August 1, 2020, Ware disturbance as merely a “disturbance,” while internal records documented hostage‑taking, escape attempts, and use of force — an under‑characterization that preceded Spann’s tenure but reflects the environment into which he stepped as warden.
A high‑profile death during Spann’s time was that of DonTavis Mintz, whose body went undiscovered for days. His mother, Narissa Wright, told Georgia Public Broadcasting that no counts or welfare checks were conducted, and when his remains were returned she could identify him only by a single tooth. Coroner records show the death occurred on October 1, 2024.
The deaths at Ware under Spann’s watch also included suicides (Scott Alan Bardwell, Dakota Lee Duffin, Antonio Leon Moses, and Jonathan Cleo Hardman‑Simmons), accidents (Vernon Edward Kennedy, Barry Lynn Rutherford, Lon Taylor Willbanks), and natural causes. The coroner classified two deaths as “undetermined” — Ted Daniel Karras (neck compression of uncertain cause) and Charles Johnny Rice (asphyxia).
No lawsuits naming Spann as a defendant have been filed in connection with these deaths.
Sources
- Georgia Prisoners’ Speak intelligence database — personnel file for James Clarence Spann, position histories, and death-attribution totals by facility.
- Ware County Coroner / GBI Division of Forensic Sciences records (produced via open records request; conv dee3f317) — multiple homicide, suicide, and accident rulings, case ME numbers.
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — “Ga. prison homicides: A list of those killed in Georgia’s prison system” (2024), reporting ten Ware State Prison homicide victims and GDC incident‑report findings.
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — “The federal Department of Justice: deliberate indifference, violence in Georgia” (October 1, 2024), reporting DonTavis Mintz’s death and mother’s allegations.
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — “Prisons transparency” (2020), documenting discrepancy between GDC public description of Ware disturbance and internal records.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 3 | WARE STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| Warden | WARE STATE PRISON | 2024-10-16 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | WARE STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → 2024-10-15 |
| Warden | LEE STATE PRISON | 2023-09-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | LEE STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-08-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | BURRUSS C.T.C | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | WILCOX STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2019-12-31 |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (SP) | WILCOX STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Chief Counselor | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2009-01-01 → 2009-12-31 |
| Counselor | AUTRY STATE PRISON | 2004-01-01 → 2004-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:25-cv-00111 | GAMD | 2025-03-26 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
48 people died at facilities under Spann, James Clarence's leadership.
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