Wilkes, Scott W

Tenure Summary

Scott W. Wilkes has held a series of Georgia Department of Corrections positions since 2015, moving between central-office administration and facility leadership titles. He began as a Correction Administration staffer (2015), then held facility-leadership titles — Correctional Superintendent (2016), Warden 3 (2017), Correctional Superintendent (2018, 2019 and 2020), and Warden 1 (2022) — before a 2021 stint as Sr Mgr, Correctional Administration. He was Warden at Washington State Prison from April 1, 2022 through June 15, 2024.

Fifteen deaths are attributed to his leadership tenure, all of them at Washington State Prison, per GPS's death registry. No news reports naming him directly appear in the records. Three lawsuits in which he is listed as a defendant are on record; none shows an outcome amount, and none is recorded as a settlement.

What happened on their watch

Correction Administration (2015); Sr Mgr, Correctional Administration (2021) — staff-tier roles with no facility attached in the records.

Correctional Superintendent (2016); Warden 3 (2017); Correctional Superintendent (2018, 2019, 2020); Warden 1 (2022) — facility-leadership titles recorded without a facility assignment.

Warden, Washington State Prison — April 1, 2022 to June 15, 2024. All 15 deaths attributed to Wilkes's tenure occurred at this facility. By the causes listed in GPS's registry: five Natural/Medical, four Overdose, two Homicide, two Unknown/Pending, one Use of Force and one Other. The decedents ranged in age from 26 to 72.

Two of the deaths carry documented circumstances in GPS's intel events. Michael Lee Jackson, 60, died from multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of hypertensive cardiovascular disease; an incident report shows two other inmates were involved. Marquis Reshawn Jefferson, 26, died of stab wounds to the torso and arm; an incident report dated May 11, 2022 indicates four other inmates were involved. Jacob Cole Henson, 31, was fatally shot by a GDC officer at a hospital, per GPS's intel events — he died April 23, 2024 from multiple gunshot wounds after a fight with an officer who had taken him to be treated for injuries from a stabbing earlier that day; the registry lists the cause as Use of Force.

The U.S. Department of Justice published a report in 2024 — while Wilkes held the Warden role — finding that Georgia prison officials are "deliberately indifferent" to unchecked deadly violence, widespread drug use, extortion and sexual abuse at state lockups, and finding sophisticated gangs running prison black markets. Separately, four GPS intel reports dated June 1, 2024 concern the appointment of Veronica Stewart as Warden of Washington State Prison, questioning the promotion through the security ranks without documented leadership training or advanced leadership qualifications.

Deaths during the tenure, per GPS's registry:

• Omar Sheffield Lashley died April 11, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 51.
• Marquis Reshawn Jefferson died May 11, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 26.
• Michael Lee Jackson died August 17, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Homicide, age 60.
• Phillip Rutledge died October 6, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 72.
• Jason Shayne Speed died November 23, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Other, age 45.
• William A Brooks died November 25, 2022, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 67.
• Garrett Lee Bailey died June 12, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 39.
• Jimmy Lee Rucker died June 20, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 53.
• Charles Craig Williamson died June 20, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 55.
• Sharod Farran Johnson died June 26, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Natural/Medical, age 31.
• James Michael Jenkins died July 10, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 61.
• Ronald Wayne Kidd died October 30, 2023, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 61.
• Jimmy Lee Reed died April 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Unknown/Pending, age 66.
• Jacob Cole Henson died April 23, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Use of Force, age 31.
• Johntavis Jermaine Kellom died May 2, 2024, at Washington State Prison; the registry lists the cause as Overdose, age 36.

Litigation

• Hinson v. Wilkes, No. 1:18-cv-00025 (GASD), filed February 8, 2018, terminated November 26, 2018; no outcome amount recorded. Wilkes is listed as a defendant.
• Griggs v. Davis, No. 1:17-cv-00089 (GASD), filed July 27, 2017, terminated January 3, 2022; no outcome amount recorded. Wilkes is listed as a defendant.
• Ash v. Oliver, No. 5:24-cv-00021 (GAMD), filed February 1, 2024, terminated January 6, 2025; no outcome amount recorded. Wilkes is listed as a defendant.

Sources

• GPS death registry — dates, facilities and causes for the 15 deaths attributed to Wilkes's Warden tenure at Washington State Prison.
• GPS intel events — the 2022 deaths of Michael Lee Jackson and Marquis Reshawn Jefferson; the April 23, 2024 death of Jacob Cole Henson; the 2024 DOJ findings; the June 1, 2024 reports on the Washington State Prison Warden appointment.
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 civil rights report finding Georgia prison officials "deliberately indifferent" to deadly violence, drug use, extortion and sexual abuse.
• Court records (CourtListener dockets) — Hinson v. Wilkes (GASD), Griggs v. Davis (GASD), Ash v. Oliver (GAMD).
• News mentions: none naming Wilkes directly in the records.

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Oct 11, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.