West, Sandi R

Tenure Summary

Sandi R. West's career in the Georgia Department of Corrections runs across two decades and two facilities. She began as a Sergeant at Smith State Prison in 2003, returned there as a Lieutenant in 2011, served as a Correctional Officer in 2015, then as CSM Correctional Lieutenant at Smith in 2016 and CSM Correctional Unit Manager at Smith (2017) and Montgomery State Prison (2018). She was Deputy Warden at Montgomery in 2019 and at the Women's Probation Detention Center in 2020, then held Correctional Superintendent posts in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and was recorded as Correctional Superintendent at the Women's Probation Detention Center on November 22, 2023. On January 1, 2024 she became WARDEN 1 at Rogers State Prison and on June 16, 2024 was recorded as Warden there, a role carried through May 31, 2026. Her recorded state salary rose from $39,215.04 in 2015 to $92,825.04 in 2025.

Per GPS's death registry, six deaths are attributed to her leadership tenure, all of them at Rogers State Prison. No deaths are attributed to her superintendent postings or to the Women's Probation Detention Center. Per court records, she was named a defendant in one federal lawsuit.

What happened on their watch

Smith State Prison — Sergeant (2003), Lieutenant (2011), CSM Correctional Lieutenant (2016), CSM Correctional Unit Manager (2017). These are the roles and dates on record. No deaths are attributed to these postings.

Montgomery State Prison — CSM Correctional Unit Manager (2018), Deputy Warden (2019); Women's Probation Detention Center — Deputy Warden (2020). Roles and dates only; no deaths are attributed to these postings.

Correctional Superintendent (2021, 2022, 2023) and Women's Probation Detention Center, Correctional Superintendent (November 22, 2023). No facility is recorded for the 2021–2023 superintendent entries in the positions data, and the death registry attributes no deaths to these tenures.

Rogers State Prison — WARDEN 1 (January 1, 2024 to June 15, 2024) and Warden (June 16, 2024 to May 31, 2026). All six deaths attributed to West's leadership tenure occurred here:

• Shawn Remar Johnson died July 23, 2024, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 34.
• Taylor Anthony Hunt died September 28, 2024, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 29.
• David Edward Wood died February 4, 2025, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical.
• Justin Waymon Hollingsworth died June 26, 2025, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Suicide, age 43.
• Randy Eugene Stewart died July 17, 2025, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 60.
• John Meeks died February 19, 2026, at Rogers State Prison; GPS's registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 49.

Hunt's death also appears in GPS intelligence log entries dated September 2024, each recorded with the role "Warden" at Rogers. Those entries characterize the death as occurring "under suspicious circumstances," state that GDC classified it as a suicide "despite evidence of trauma," and describe ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, puncture wounds and stab wounds. Those descriptions are the entries' characterizations — allegations, not adjudicated findings. No news mention in the records names West directly.

Litigation

• Jackson v. Catanzariti, case no. 6:12-cv-00113, court listed as GASD — filed December 10, 2012; terminated June 28, 2023. No outcome amount is recorded. Court records list West as a defendant.

Sources

• GPS death registry — six deaths attributed to West's Rogers State Prison leadership tenure (2024–2026)
• GPS intelligence log entries — September 2024 entries concerning the death of Taylor Hunt at Rogers State Prison
• Court records, Jackson v. Catanzariti, 6:12-cv-00113 (docket 5357805) — filing and termination dates

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Sep 27, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.