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Williams, JOE
Status: active
Profile written June 21, 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
Joe Williams began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Hancock State Prison in 2015 and rose through the ranks—sergeant, lieutenant, captain, unit manager, deputy warden—before being promoted to Warden 1 in 2023 and later Warden 2. GPS records place Williams as the Warden 2 at Hancock State Prison from 2025 onward. During his leadership tenure at that facility, GPS attributes 10 deaths to his watch, all at Hancock State Prison. A federal lawsuit, Allen v. Williams, was filed against him in 2025 and remains pending. The facility’s period under his wardenship was marked by severe understaffing, gang-related violence, and findings of systemic failures documented by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.What happened on their watch
Hancock State Prison — Warden 2 (2025‑2026)
GPS records attribute 10 deaths at Hancock State Prison during Joe Williams’s tenure as Warden 2. The deaths span from January 30, 2025, to April 7, 2026, with a predominant cause‑category of homicide. On January 30, 2025, William Holeman and Prince Porter were found dead in a dorm following what the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution described as gang‑related violence; Porter had a puncture wound, and Holeman had no visible marks. In the months that followed, the facility logged additional fatalities: Brian Smith (30) on July 24, 2025; Corey Jose July (33), stabbed in the prison yard on June 17, 2025; Andre Rashad Weems (36), fatally stabbed on September 9, 2025 (eight people charged, grand jury no‑billed, per 13WMAZ and the Union‑Recorder); John T. Childree (60) on April 9, 2025; and a cluster in early 2026—Jaylin Bell (32), killed by his cellmate on February 6; Jerrod Johnson (27), fatally stabbed on February 18; Steven Monroe Wood (54), beaten by a cellmate and dying in a hospital on January 25; and Jacorey Derrelle Pearson (36) on April 7, cause not yet disclosed.During this period, the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that Hancock State Prison had a 73.5% correctional officer vacancy rate, leaving only 49 officers for over 1,100 prisoners—conditions that consultants found had reached “emergency levels” across the state system. The same publication cited a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report that described gang‑run prisons, rampant violence, and a “culture of indifference.” Allegations tied to the facility include claims, per the AJC, that Charles “Tristen” James McKee was placed in a dorm with known gang members hostile to LGBTQ inmates and that staff ignored his repeated requests to be moved before his murder; and a claim that Francisco Zaldivar Melgar‑Saldivar was denied appropriate medical care after being attacked. A mass incident on January 12, 2026, saw five inmates stabbed—two airlifted to hospitals—underscoring the ongoing volatility. Williams held the Warden 2 role during all of these events.
Litigation
- Allen v. Williams, 5:25‑cv‑00216 (GAMD), filed May 15, 2025. Status: pending. Source: CourtListener.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — reporting on Hancock State Prison’s staffing vacancies, gang violence, DOJ findings, and specific death cases (McKee, Melgar‑Saldivar, Holeman/Porter, etc.)
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — coverage of the January 2026 brawl and the systemic consultant findings on emergency staffing levels
- 13WMAZ, 41NBC, Union‑Recorder — reporting on the deaths of Andre Weems, Corey July, Jaylin Bell, and Steven Wood
- U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on violence and sexual assault in Georgia prisons
- CourtListener — docket for Allen v. Williams
- GPS intelligence logs — user‑submitted incident reports and death tracking
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 2 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 2 | 2024-01-01 → 2024-12-31 | |
| WARDEN 1 | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 | |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | 2021-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| FOOD SVC SPV | 2017-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL CAPTAIN | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL SERGEANT | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25-cv-00216 | GAMD | 2025-05-15 | pending |
| 5:23-cv-00205 | GAMD | 2023-06-08 | terminated |
| 1:21-cv-05301 | GAND | 2021-12-27 | terminated |
| 1:17-md-02800 | GAND | 2017-12-06 | terminated |
| 7:16-cv-00020 | GAMD | 2016-02-22 | terminated |
| 1:15-mj-00329 | GAND | 2015-04-24 | terminated |
| 5:15-cv-00041 | GAMD | 2015-02-12 | terminated |
| 1:12-cv-00058 | GASD | 2012-04-19 | terminated |
| 1:11-cv-00512 | GAND | 2011-02-22 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
10 people died at facilities under Williams, JOE's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-07 | JACOREY DERRELLE PEARSON | 36 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2026-02-18 | JERROD JOHNSON | 27 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2026-02-06 | JAYLIN BELL | 32 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2026-01-25 | STEVEN MONROE WOOD | 54 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-09-09 | ANDRE RASHAD WEEMS | 36 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-07-24 | BRIAN SMITH | 30 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-06-17 | COREY JOSE JULY | 33 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-04-09 | JOHN T CHILDREE | 60 | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-01-30 | William Holeman | — | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
| 2025-01-30 | Prince Porter | — | HANCOCK STATE PRISON | WARDEN 2 |
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