Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Turner, Dennis J
Turner, Dennis J
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 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
Dennis J. Turner began working for the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a public safety trainer, holding various training positions through 2022. In 2023, Turner served as a Correctional Unit Manager before being appointed Deputy Warden at Central State Prison, a role he held from 2024 through at least 2026. During his time as Deputy Warden, GPS records attribute 18 deaths to Central State Prison. The facility has been the subject of multiple allegations of violence, understaffing, and systemic dysfunction, as documented by external investigations and news reports that overlapped with Turner’s tenure.What happened on their watch
Turner’s only facility-level leadership posting occurred at Central State Prison, where he served as Deputy Warden from 2024 onward. GPS records show that 18 individuals died at the facility during his tenure in that role, spanning from February 2024 to June 2026. The deaths, per GPS data, include a mix of cause categories: at least one confirmed homicide (Leon Culver Kelly, stabbed on December 9, 2024, as reported by 13WMAZ), a suicide in segregation (Miguel Angel Duran, March 1, 2026), multiple accidental overdoses (Joseph Hamm, October 8, 2025; Ricky Eugene Rogers, April 21, 2025), and numerous deaths attributed to medical or natural causes (cause category 6), including a case of cerebral herniation due to extremely high blood pressure (Matthew Maddox, January 28, 2025). The decedents ranged in age from 36 (Joseph Hamm) to 77 (Michael Lane Brooks). The total of 18 deaths is drawn directly from GPS’s authoritative accounting; the available records list all 18 by name.During Turner’s deputy warden years, Central State Prison faced a series of serious incidents and external allegations. In March 2025, three former guards were accused of beating an incarcerated man and attempting a cover-up, according to 13WMAZ. The same outlet reported that a guard at the prison faced charges in December 2025 for falsely imprisoning four Department of Family and Child Services employees. A separate incident in June 2025 involved three incarcerated people charged with stabbing another individual. Investigations from the Department of Justice, cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, detailed earlier homicides at Central State, including the stabbing deaths of Hollis Alan Bryant (December 2023) and Marquis L. Johnson (December 2023) — though these predated Turner’s deputy role. Georgia Public Broadcasting reported in late 2023 that severe staffing shortages had allowed gang members to effectively control portions of Georgia prisons, contributing to rising violence, and noted that families of those who die often receive no information — conditions that reportedly continued into Turner’s watch. No lawsuits directly naming Dennis J. Turner were found in the available records.
Sources
- GPS records — personnel positions, death counts, and decedent names
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — DOJ report findings on homicides at Central State Prison
- 13WMAZ — incident reports on guard misconduct, inmate fights, and the homicide of Leon Culver Kelly
- Georgia Public Broadcasting — reporting on systemic violence, understaffing, and transparency failures in Georgia prisons (2023)
- Court records — no lawsuits directly identifying Dennis J. Turner as a defendant
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY, TRAINER 3 | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY, TRAINER 1 | 2016-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| PUBLIC SAFETY TRN (WL) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:18-cv-00222 | GAMD | 2018-06-21 | terminated |
| 1:16-cv-00378 | GAND | 2016-02-08 | terminated |
| 5:15-cv-00041 | GAMD | 2015-02-12 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
18 people died at facilities under Turner, Dennis J's leadership.
Submit a correction
If you are the named individual or an authorized representative and dispute information on this page, submit details below. Substantiated corrections are applied promptly. Disputes that remain unresolved are flagged on the profile.