Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Wilkes, Scott W
Wilkes, Scott W
Status: active
Profile written July 12, 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
Scott W. Wilkes held a series of facility-level leadership roles with the Georgia Department of Corrections spanning at least 2016 through 2024, including multiple stints as Correctional Superintendent and Warden. GPS records show that no deaths were attributed to any facility during the periods Wilkes served in these leadership roles. Despite the absence of custodial deaths on his watch, Wilkes was named as a defendant in three federal lawsuits filed in U.S. District Courts in Georgia — each during a distinct leadership tenure — indicating legal allegations were brought against him while he held accountability positions.What happened on their watch
While Wilkes held the title of Warden 3 in 2017, no facility deaths were recorded by GPS. During this same year, the lawsuit Griggs v. Davis was filed (July 27, 2017) in the Southern District of Georgia, naming Wilkes among the defendants; the case remained active until termination in early 2022.During his 2018 term as a Correctional Superintendent, GPS records again show no attributed deaths. In February 2018, a separate suit — Hinson v. Wilkes — was filed in the same district directly naming Wilkes. The case was terminated by November 2018.
From 2022 through 2024, Wilkes served as Warden 1. No deaths were attributed to any facility under his leadership during these years. A third lawsuit, Ash v. Oliver, was filed on February 1, 2024, in the Middle District of Georgia, listing Wilkes as a defendant. The case was closed in January 2025.
None of the lawsuits have public outcome amounts, and GPS intel reports and news mentions contain no further allegations of misconduct or systemic issues tied to Wilkes’ periods of leadership.
Litigation
- Griggs v. Davis, No. 1:17-cv-00089 (S.D. Ga., filed July 27, 2017, terminated Jan. 3, 2022) – named Wilkes as a defendant.
- Hinson v. Wilkes, No. 1:18-cv-00025 (S.D. Ga., filed Feb. 8, 2018, terminated Nov. 26, 2018) – directly named Wilkes.
- Ash v. Oliver, No. 5:24-cv-00021 (M.D. Ga., filed Feb. 1, 2024, terminated Jan. 6, 2025) – named Wilkes as a defendant.
Sources
- GPS personnel records and death attribution data — documenting zero facility deaths during Wilkes’ leadership tenures.
- U.S. District Court dockets via CourtListener — case filings and terminations for Griggs v. Davis, Hinson v. Wilkes, and Ash v. Oliver.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 1 | 2022-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| Warden | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2022-04-01 → 2024-06-15 |
| SR MGR, CORRECTIONAL ADMIN | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2018-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| WARDEN 3 | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTION ADMINISTRATION | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:24-cv-00021 | GAMD | 2024-02-01 | terminated |
| 1:18-cv-00025 | GASD | 2018-02-08 | terminated |
| 1:17-cv-00089 | GASD | 2017-07-27 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
15 people died at facilities under Wilkes, Scott W's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-02 | JOHNTAVIS JERMAINE KELLOM | 36 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-04-23 | JACOB COLE HENSON | 31 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2024-04-02 | JIMMY LEE REED | 66 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-10-30 | RONALD WAYNE KIDD | 61 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-07-10 | JAMES MICHAEL JENKINS | 61 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-26 | SHAROD FARRAN JOHNSON | 31 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-20 | CHARLES CRAIG WILLIAMSON | 55 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-20 | JIMMY LEE RUCKER | 53 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2023-06-12 | GARRETT LEE BAILEY | 39 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-11-25 | WILLIAM A BROOKS | 67 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-11-23 | JASON SHAYNE SPEED | 45 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-10-06 | PHILLIP RUTLEDGE | 72 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-08-17 | MICHAEL LEE JACKSON | 60 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-05-11 | MARQUIS RESHAWN JEFFERSON | 26 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
| 2022-04-11 | OMAR SHEFFIELD LASHLEY | 51 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | Warden |
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.