White, Jermaine M

Tenure Summary

GPS records attribute 19 deaths to White’s leadership tenure—all of them at Telfair State Prison. Five federal civil‑rights lawsuits naming White as a defendant were filed between 2020 and 2023, all of which were terminated without a disclosed monetary judgment. In addition, in 2026 the State of Georgia settled a claim for $3.2 million with the family of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, who died at Telfair, though the settlement does not name White individually.

What happened on their watch

Washington State Prison (2018–2019)
White served as correctional superintendent (2018) and then warden (2019) at Washington State Prison. GPS records show no deaths attributed to his facility‑leader tenure there. During that period, however, an intel report alleges that an inmate was killed in a homicide at the prison, and a separate WGXA report claims that inmate Luis Alfonso Ramirez directed a drug‑trafficking network from inside the facility using contraband cellphones. The broader context included a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice finding that Georgia prison officials were “deliberately indifferent” to unchecked violence, drug use, and sexual abuse, revelations that would later be cited in connection with a deadly 2026 riot at Washington—well after White had left the warden role.

Telfair State Prison (2020–2023)
As warden at Telfair, White presided over a facility where GPS data attributes 19 deaths during his tenure. The decedents ranged in age from 25 to 74. Six of the deaths were homicides, according to the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution’s prison‑homicides investigation: Aldrich Cain (multiple stab wounds, April 2020), Cedric Johnson (strangulation, March 2020), Marcus Pearson (multiple stab wounds, May 2020), Luis Garcia‑Palacio (blunt‑impact head injuries, July 2020), Juan Carlos Arguello‑Revelles (stabbing, May 2021), and Xavier Lamar Warren (stab wound, December 2022). An additional death—that of 74‑year‑old William Lumpkin in August 2021—was officially recorded as natural causes, but a GPS‑published witness account alleges medical neglect, stating that medical staff refused to evaluate him after he complained of chest pain. The cause categories for the remaining twelve deaths are listed as “unknown” in GPS records.

Allegations documented in GPS’s intelligence repository paint a picture of pervasive understaffing and violence during White’s years at Telfair. An Atlanta Journal‑Constitution report noted that Telfair had a 79 percent correctional‑officer vacancy rate—just 32 officers for a facility requiring at least 153—and that buildings with maintenance problems allowed prisoners to strip materials for weapons. The AJC also reported a claim that De’ahmoz Oshmic Floyd was stabbed by multiple prisoners while no staff were present, and that he had been targeted after renouncing his gang affiliation. A separate AJC investigation described a sergeant, Desiree Briley, smuggling methamphetamine into Telfair and distributing it for at least two years. Other reports from 13WMAZ claim an officer responded to an inmate pleading for help in extreme heat with “if he dies, he dies.” While these allegations surfaced during White’s tenure, none of the lawsuits against him have resulted in findings of liability.

Litigation

• Askew v. White, No. 5:20‑cv‑00264 (M.D. Ga.), filed July 6, 2020, terminated July 22, 2020.
• Ross v. White, No. 3:22‑cv‑00066 (S.D. Ga.), filed June 22, 2022, terminated Oct. 12, 2022.
• Jackson v. White, No. 3:22‑cv‑00114 (S.D. Ga.), filed Sept. 13, 2022, terminated Apr. 1, 2024.
• Riggs v. Stewart, No. 7:23‑cv‑00124 (M.D. Ga.), filed Nov. 21, 2023, terminated Dec. 12, 2023. (White listed as a defendant.)
• Powell v. White, No. 3:23‑cv‑00096 (S.D. Ga.), filed Dec. 4, 2023, terminated Mar. 28, 2024.

All cases were terminated without reported monetary settlements or judgments, per court records.

Sources

• GPS records — death counts, facility tenure, and intel summaries for Telfair State Prison and Washington State Prison
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (deaths of Cain, Johnson, Pearson, Garcia‑Palacio, Arguello‑Revelles, Warren; understaffing and weapons allegations)
• 13WMAZ — officer comment “if he dies, he dies”; $3.2 million settlement for family of Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano
• WGXA — drug‑trafficking ring allegedly run from Washington State Prison
• U.S. District Court records (PACER/CourtListener) — filed lawsuits

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Jul 12, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.