White, Jermaine M

Tenure Summary

Jermaine M. White began his GDC career as a correctional officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2002 and rose steadily through the ranks — lieutenant, deputy warden, and superintendent — before holding the Warden title at Washington State Prison (2018–2019) and then Telfair State Prison (2020–2022). He was promoted to Southwest Regional Director in July 2023 and has served as Region Director since 2024, earning $130,071 in 2025. GPS records show 19 deaths attributed to facilities during White's tenure as a facility-lead — all at Telfair State Prison across 2020–2022. Six federal lawsuits name him as a defendant. Washington State Prison, where White previously served as Correctional Superintendent and Warden, experienced a mass-casualty riot in January 2026 — after his departure — that killed at least four inmates and injured more than a dozen others; that facility now falls within his Southwest Regional Director portfolio.

What happened on their watch

Washington State Prison — Correctional Superintendent / Warden 1 (2018–2019)

White held the facility-lead role at Washington State Prison during 2018 and 2019. GPS records show no deaths attributed to his tenure there. However, the facility has since become a focal point of systemic reporting. According to the AJC, a GDC officer fatally shot inmate Jacob Cole Henson during a medical transport to a hospital — the timing of that incident relative to White's tenure is not confirmed in the structured records. Former inmates, speaking to 13WMAZ, allege that Washington State Prison was characterized by gang domination, chronic understaffing, broken cell-door locks, and an absence of educational programming during the period they were incarcerated there. A 2024 DOJ investigation, reported by 41NBC and the AJC, found Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked violence, drug use, extortion, and sexual abuse statewide.

Telfair State Prison — Warden 1 / Warden 3 (2020–2022)

White held the top leadership post at Telfair State Prison for three consecutive years. GPS records attribute 19 deaths to his tenure there. In 2020 alone, GPS records show 10 deaths, including four the AJC's Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation identifies by cause: Louis Garcia-Palacio, 41, died July 28 from blunt impact injuries to the head; Marcus Derrelle Pearson, 28, died May 29 from multiple stab wounds; Aldrich Norval Cain, 26, died April 23 from multiple stab wounds; and Cedric Latroy Johnson, 35, died March 14 from strangulation. Six additional 2020 deaths carry cause category 6 in GPS records, with no cause listed in the available notes. In 2021, GPS records show three deaths: Juan Carlos Arguello-Revelles, 37, died May 7 from stabbing per the AJC investigation; William Hiram Lumpkin, 74, died August 17 — listed as natural causes, though a GPS case report notes that a doctor allegedly refused to see him that morning, and a source characterizes the death as possible medical neglect; and Jeremy Williams, 29, died March 16 (cause category 6, no further detail in records). In 2022, GPS records show five deaths, including Xavier Lamar Warren, 32, who died December 28 from a stab wound to the torso per the AJC investigation. The remaining four 2022 deaths carry cause category 6 with no additional notes.

The AJC reported that Telfair was missing 76% of its essential correctional officer workforce — leaving approximately 32–36 officers for a facility requiring at least 153. According to the AJC, a claim filed against the state alleged that inmate De'ahmoz Oshmic Floyd was stabbed by multiple prisoners at a time when no prison staff were present in the dorm, and that Floyd had previously been targeted after renouncing gang affiliation. The AJC also reported that Sergeant Desiree Briley allegedly helped an inmate smuggle methamphetamine into Telfair and distribute it for at least two years. According to Solitary Watch — reporting on a 2010 incident predating White's tenure — tactical officers allegedly rampaged through Telfair, destroying property and beating prisoners, and administration allegedly shut off heat during freezing temperatures.

Litigation

• Askew v. White, No. 5:20-cv-00264 (GAMD) — filed July 6, 2020; terminated July 22, 2020.
• Ross v. White, No. 3:22-cv-00066 (GASD) — filed June 22, 2022; terminated October 12, 2022.
• Jackson v. White, No. 3:22-cv-00114 (GASD) — filed September 13, 2022; terminated April 1, 2024.
• Riggs v. Stewart, No. 7:23-cv-00124 (GAMD) — filed November 21, 2023; terminated December 12, 2023.
• Powell v. White, No. 3:23-cv-00096 (GASD) — filed December 4, 2023; terminated March 28, 2024.
• Head v. White, No. 1:24-cv-04480 (GAND) — filed October 3, 2024; pending as of GPS records.

No settlement amounts are recorded for any of these cases.

Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia Prison Homicides Investigation (cause-of-death attributions for Warren, Arguello-Revelles, Garcia-Palacio, Pearson, Cain, Johnson; staffing figures at Telfair; De'ahmoz Floyd claim; Briley contraband allegation; Washington State Prison riot coverage)
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — opinion/investigative reporting on GDC systemic conditions (staffing collapse, contraband, DOJ findings)
• GPS Case Management — Report GPS-DEATH-2025-72217 (Lumpkin death, medical neglect allegation)
• Solitary Watch — December 2010 reporting on Telfair State Prison conditions
• 41NBC — Washington State Prison riot coverage; DOJ 2024 findings
• 13WMAZ — Washington State Prison riot coverage; former inmate accounts
• WGXA — Washington State Prison disturbance; Trammell family allegation
• WFXL — 12 inmates charged following Washington State Prison riot
• CourtListener — docket records for all six federal lawsuits

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 10, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.