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White, Jermaine M
Status: active
Profile written August 2, 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
Jermaine M. White rose through the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections, starting as a correctional officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2002 and later serving in roles including lieutenant, probation/parole officer, and deputy warden before taking his first facility-lead post as correctional superintendent of Washington State Prison in 2018. He was promoted to warden at Washington and then transferred to Telfair State Prison, where he served as warden from 2020 through 2022. After a brief stint as warden 3 without a facility assignment, White moved into regional leadership, becoming the Southwest Regional Director in July 2023 and later Region Director.According to GPS records, 19 deaths occurred at Telfair State Prison during White’s tenure as warden — the only facility where deaths were attributed to a leadership role he held. Multiple federal lawsuits were also filed against him while he was assigned to Telfair, though all were terminated without recorded payouts. He remains an active GDC employee in a regional director role.
What happened on their watch
Washington State Prison (2018–2019)
White served as correctional superintendent and then warden at Washington State Prison from 2018 through 2019. No deaths were attributed to his leadership tenure at this facility, per GPS records. However, challenges later came to light: a witness claim recorded by GPS alleges that a man was killed in a homicide there, though the incident date is not specified in the database. A federal investigation also later resulted in the indictment of an inmate, Luis Alfonso Ramirez, for allegedly directing a drug trafficking network from Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones; this case was made public in 2026. Reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other outlets have also described chronic understaffing, facility disrepair, and gang violence at the prison, consistent with broader systemic findings by the U.S. Department of Justice, but the specific incidents were documented after White’s tenure there.Telfair State Prison (2020–2022)
White became warden at Telfair State Prison on January 1, 2020, and remained in that role until at least the end of 2022. During those three years, 19 deaths occurred inside the facility, as recorded by GPS and corroborated by county coroner certificates, GBI autopsy reports, and the AJC’s Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation.The deaths included five confirmed homicides: Cedric Latroy Johnson (strangulation), Aldrich Norval Cain (multiple stab wounds), Marcus Derrelle Pearson (multiple stab wounds), Louis Garcia-Palacio (blunt impact head injuries), and Juan Carlos Arguello-Revelles (stabbing), according to coroner records and AJC reporting. Another death in December 2022, that of Xavier Lamar Warren, was also a homicide by stab wound and blunt trauma, per a Telfair County coroner certificate.
Two inmates died by suicide: Dustin Bowling and Rafael Foragi DaSilva, both by hanging, as documented in GBI Medical Examiner autopsy reports. Drug toxicity caused two deaths: William Allen Slaton and Jeremy Williams died of methamphetamine toxicity, ruled accidental by the coroner. William Hiram Lumpkin’s death was listed as natural (sepsis, acute pancreatitis) by the coroner, but a family report and GPS case records allege that chest-pain complaints were ignored by medical staff, and the organization classifies the death as medical neglect. The remaining nine deaths recorded during White’s tenure were of undetermined cause (category 6) pending toxicology or further investigation.
Beyond the death count, serious allegations of systemic neglect and abuse swirled during White’s leadership. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Telfair was missing 79% of its essential correctional-officer workforce, leaving only 32 officers for over 1,400 prisoners. Another AJC investigation documented that Sergeant Desiree Briley helped an inmate smuggle and distribute meth inside the prison for at least two years. In a case that later resulted in a $3.2 million settlement between the State of Georgia and the family of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 13WMAZ reported that an officer allegedly responded “if he dies, he dies” when an inmate pleaded for help while suffering in extreme heat; GPS did not record Ramirez Bibiano’s death date, but the settlement was reached in 2026.
Three federal lawsuits were filed against White while he was warden at Telfair: Askew v. White (filed July 2020), Ross v. White (June 2022), and Jackson v. White (September 2022). All were terminated without any recorded award.
Litigation
- Askew v. White, 5:20-cv-00264 (GAMD), filed July 6, 2020; terminated July 22, 2020.
- Ross v. White, 3:22-cv-00066 (GASD), filed June 22, 2022; terminated Oct. 12, 2022.
- Jackson v. White, 3:22-cv-00114 (GASD), filed Sept. 13, 2022; terminated April 1, 2024.
- Powell v. White, 3:23-cv-00096 (GASD), filed Dec. 4, 2023; terminated March 28, 2024.
- Riggs v. Stewart, 7:23-cv-00124 (GAMD), filed Nov. 21, 2023; terminated Dec. 12, 2023 (White listed as defendant).
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (multiple deaths at Telfair, cause-of-death details, understaffing report, officer smuggling incident)
- 13WMAZ — reporting on alleged “if he dies, he dies” remark and $3.2 million settlement for Ramirez Bibiano family
- GBI Medical Examiner Division (DOFS autopsies) — cause/manner for Bowling, DaSilva, and others
- Telfair County Coroner certificates (ORR production) — multiple death certifications
- CourtListener — case records for Askew, Ross, Jackson, Powell, and Riggs lawsuits
- GPS Records — deaths-during-tenure data, intel reports, facility staffing reports
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| REGION DIRECTOR | 2024-01-01 → present | |
| Southwest Regional Director | 2023-07-01 → present | |
| WARDEN 3 | 2023-01-01 → 2023-06-30 | |
| WARDEN 3 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2019-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | ALBANY TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | LEE STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| PROBATION/PAROLEOFFICER(WL) | LEE STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Lieutenant | 2009-01-01 → 2009-12-31 | |
| Correctional Officer | WILCOX STATE PRISON | 2002-01-01 → 2002-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:23-cv-00096 | GASD | 2023-12-04 | terminated |
| 7:23-cv-00124 | GAMD | 2023-11-21 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00114 | GASD | 2022-09-13 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00066 | GASD | 2022-06-22 | terminated |
| 5:20-cv-00264 | GAMD | 2020-07-06 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
19 people died at facilities under White, Jermaine M's leadership.
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