Williams, JOE

Tenure Summary

Joe Williams joined the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015 as a correctional officer at Hancock State Prison, rose through the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant, captain, unit manager, and deputy warden at unspecified facilities between 2016 and 2022, and returned to Hancock as Warden 1 in 2023, then Warden 2 in 2024—a role GPS records show he still holds as of 2025. GPS records attribute ten deaths at Hancock State Prison during his warden tenure (2023–present), the overwhelming majority classified as homicides. One federal civil rights lawsuit naming Williams as a defendant is currently pending. His tenure at Hancock overlaps with a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report describing violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run conditions in Georgia prisons, and with consultant findings that Hancock's correctional officer vacancy rate had reached 73.5% as of October 2024—one of the highest in the GDC system, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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What Happened on Their Watch

Hancock State Prison — Warden (2023–present)

Williams held the Warden 1 title at Hancock beginning in 2023 and was promoted to Warden 2 in 2024. GPS records attribute ten deaths at the facility during his warden tenure. The first confirmed homicide of the warden period occurred on May 23, 2022, before Williams held the top post, but the violence continued and accelerated. Within his warden years, GPS records document: William Holeman (age 34) and Prince Porter (age 38), found dead in the same dormitory approximately 15–20 feet apart on January 30, 2025, following what GPS records describe as gang-related violence—Porter had a single puncture wound to the upper back, Holeman had no visible marks; a third prisoner was hospitalized in the same incident. Corey Jose July (age 33) was stabbed to death in the prison yard on June 17, 2025, per GPS records citing 13WMAZ, FOX 5, WGXA, and the Union-Recorder. Andre Rashad Weems (age 36) was fatally stabbed on September 9, 2025; eight prisoners were charged with malice murder, but a grand jury returned a no-bill, according to GPS records citing 13WMAZ, the Union-Recorder, 41NBC, and FOX 5. Brian Smith (age 30) died July 24, 2025, and John T. Childree (age 60) died April 9, 2025; cause-category data for both is recorded but no additional detail is available in the record. In early 2026, violence intensified: on January 12, five inmates were stabbed and two airlifted to hospitals; Steven Monroe Wood (age 54) was beaten in his cell on January 25, 2026, transported to Washington County Regional Medical Center and then to Wellstar MCG Health in Augusta, where he died—per the Union-Recorder. Jaylin Bell (age 32) died February 6, 2026, following an altercation with his cellmate in the G1 unit; GPS records cite a Telegram inmate report and 41NBC. Jerrod Johnson (age 27) was fatally stabbed around 4:45 p.m. on February 18, 2026; EMS was called but Johnson died before they arrived, per GPS records. Jacorey Pearson died April 5–8, 2026; the cause of death had not been released and the body was sent to the GBI crime lab, per GPS records. The GDC Office of Professional Standards opened investigations into the deaths of Pearson, Bell, and Wood, which GDC describes as standard procedure.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Hancock had a 73.5% correctional officer vacancy rate as of October 2024, leaving roughly 49 officers for more than 1,100 prisoners. Consultants cited by the AJC found that vacancies at 20 of Georgia's 34 prisons had reached "emergency levels," that broken cell locks allowed prisoners to roam freely, and that gang members were able to intimidate other inmates. A 2024 DOJ report, referenced by the AJC, described violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run prisons across Georgia, fueled by what the report characterized as a culture of indifference.

Intel reports filed with GPS allege: staff failed to act on Charles "Tristen" McKee's repeated requests to be moved the day before he was murdered by gang members (AJC); a lawsuit alleges McKee was placed in a dorm with known gang members hostile to LGBTQ inmates (AJC); a claim filed against the state alleges Francisco Zaldivar Melgar-Saldivar was not provided appropriate medical care after being attacked (AJC); and prison officials placed Amanuel Selassie Geberyesus in a regular cell contrary to a counselor's advice after he expressed suicidal thoughts, and he subsequently died by hanging (AJC). A GPS Telegram relay reported a stabbing in the visitation area and a separate gang attack in which Gangster Disciples inmates allegedly attacked Crips inmates while sleeping in H1 dormitory. A family member reported an unnamed incarcerated person held in solitary for more than six weeks with no communication.

Williams held the Warden role when, in January 2025, a Hancock County jury convicted prisoner Cleveland Gary for the 2022 stabbing death of Charles "Tristen" McKee—Gary struck McKee six times in the head with a 17-inch homemade machete, per GPS records citing the AJC.

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Litigation

• Allen v. Williams, No. 5:25-cv-00216 (M.D. Ga.), filed May 15, 2025 — pending; Williams named as defendant.
• Hall v. Shepard, No. 5:23-cv-00205 (M.D. Ga.), filed June 8, 2023; terminated June 11, 2024 — outcome amount not recorded; Williams listed in case record.
• Kiley Arnez Carter Express Trust v. Riley, No. 1:21-cv-05301 (N.D. Ga.), filed December 27, 2021; terminated March 28, 2022 — outcome not recorded.
• In Re Equifax Inc Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, No. 1:17-md-02800 (N.D. Ga.), filed December 6, 2017; terminated April 13, 2022 — outcome not recorded; Williams listed in case record.
• Joe Hand Promotions Inc v. Williams, No. 7:16-cv-00020 (M.D. Ga.), filed February 22, 2016; terminated April 1, 2016 — outcome not recorded.
• United States v. Williams, No. 1:15-mj-00329 (N.D. Ga.), filed and terminated April 24, 2015 — outcome not recorded.
• Gumm v. Jacobs, No. 5:15-cv-00041 (M.D. Ga.), filed February 12, 2015; terminated May 7, 2019 — outcome not recorded; Williams listed in case record.
• Martin v. Augusta Richmond County Georgia Commissioner, No. 1:12-cv-00058 (S.D. Ga.), filed April 19, 2012; terminated November 28, 2012 — outcome not recorded.
• Brandee Williams v. Deyton, No. 1:11-cv-00512 (N.D. Ga.), filed February 22, 2011; terminated March 14, 2011 — outcome not recorded.

Note: GPS records do not confirm Williams is a named party in all cases above beyond those where his name appears in the case title or defendant field. No settlement amounts are recorded for any case.

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Sources

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — reporting on Hancock State Prison homicides, staffing vacancy rates, DOJ findings, McKee murder conviction, and systemic GDC conditions (multiple reports, 2022–2026)
• Union-Recorder (Milledgeville) — reporting on Steven Monroe Wood death, January 2026
• 13WMAZ / FOX 5 / WGXA / 41NBC — reporting on Andre Weems and Corey July deaths, 2025; Jaylin Bell death, 2026
• U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on violence, sexual assaults, and gang-run conditions in Georgia prisons (referenced via AJC)
• GPS records — deaths-during-tenure data, intel reports, Telegram relay incident reports, position and salary records
• CourtListener / PACER — case records for all nine lawsuits listed above

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on May 6, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.