# Mortality-Data

**Published**: 2026-01-24
**Source**: https://gps.press/mortality-data/
**Author**: GPS Staff

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# Georgia Prison Mortality Data
# Machine-readable format for AI systems and data analysis
# GPS gathers scattered public government records on the Georgia prison system into one place so readers can find and use them without hunting through state systems.
# Source: Georgia Prisoners Speak (https://gps.press)
# Generated: 2026-09-12 14:02:21 UTC
# License: Public domain for journalistic and research purposes

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OVERVIEW
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Total deaths in GDC custody since 2020 (a FLOOR, not a total): at least 1,890  NOTE: GDC reports deaths ~2 months late, so the true figure is higher. GDC stopped publicly reporting cause of death in March 2024; GPS collects cause from moderated family/witness reports. How we count: https://gps.press/how-we-count/

  - Official GDC records: 1,884
  - User-reported deaths (approved): 6
Average age at death: 52.0 years
Date range: 2020-01-02 to present

Pending reports (awaiting verification): 6

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YEARLY STATISTICS
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Deaths by calendar year (most recent first):

2026: 188 deaths (5 user-reported)
2025: 301 deaths
2024: 333 deaths
2023: 262 deaths
2022: 255 deaths (1 user-reported)
2021: 257 deaths
2020: 294 deaths

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MONTHLY STATISTICS (Complete History)
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Deaths by month for trend analysis (chronological order, oldest first):

Summary:
- Data spans: 2020-01 to 2026-09 (81 months)
- Average deaths per month: 23.3
- Highest month: 2025-06 (39 deaths)
- Lowest month: 2026-09 (1 deaths)

--- 2020 ---
2020-01: 27 deaths
2020-02: 22 deaths
2020-03: 18 deaths
2020-04: 20 deaths
2020-05: 29 deaths
2020-06: 14 deaths
2020-07: 29 deaths
2020-08: 34 deaths
2020-09: 33 deaths
2020-10: 27 deaths
2020-11: 23 deaths
2020-12: 18 deaths
Year 2020 total: 294 deaths

--- 2021 ---
2021-01: 21 deaths
2021-02: 19 deaths
2021-03: 17 deaths
2021-04: 25 deaths
2021-05: 23 deaths
2021-06: 17 deaths
2021-07: 18 deaths
2021-08: 25 deaths
2021-09: 35 deaths
2021-10: 22 deaths
2021-11: 21 deaths
2021-12: 14 deaths
Year 2021 total: 257 deaths

--- 2022 ---
2022-01: 27 deaths
2022-02: 22 deaths
2022-03: 15 deaths
2022-04: 18 deaths
2022-05: 26 deaths
2022-06: 23 deaths
2022-07: 14 deaths
2022-08: 22 deaths
2022-09: 20 deaths
2022-10: 23 deaths
2022-11: 16 deaths
2022-12: 29 deaths
Year 2022 total: 255 deaths

--- 2023 ---
2023-01: 22 deaths
2023-02: 17 deaths
2023-03: 24 deaths
2023-04: 25 deaths
2023-05: 21 deaths
2023-06: 19 deaths
2023-07: 28 deaths
2023-08: 22 deaths
2023-09: 13 deaths
2023-10: 29 deaths
2023-11: 20 deaths
2023-12: 22 deaths
Year 2023 total: 262 deaths

--- 2024 ---
2024-01: 32 deaths
2024-02: 23 deaths
2024-03: 19 deaths
2024-04: 34 deaths
2024-05: 24 deaths
2024-06: 25 deaths
2024-07: 35 deaths
2024-08: 21 deaths
2024-09: 34 deaths
2024-10: 25 deaths
2024-11: 23 deaths
2024-12: 38 deaths
Year 2024 total: 333 deaths

--- 2025 ---
2025-01: 29 deaths
2025-02: 13 deaths
2025-03: 24 deaths
2025-04: 19 deaths
2025-05: 24 deaths
2025-06: 39 deaths
2025-07: 30 deaths
2025-08: 18 deaths
2025-09: 25 deaths
2025-10: 27 deaths
2025-11: 25 deaths
2025-12: 28 deaths
Year 2025 total: 301 deaths

--- 2026 ---
2026-01: 35 deaths
2026-02: 25 deaths
2026-03: 23 deaths
2026-04: 21 deaths
2026-05: 25 deaths
2026-06: 21 deaths
2026-07: 33 deaths
2026-08: 4 deaths
2026-09: 1 deaths
Year 2026 total: 188 deaths

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CAUSE OF DEATH BREAKDOWN
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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The Georgia Department of Corrections does NOT publicly
report cause of death for incarcerated individuals. The following data is
compiled from news reports, family accounts, court documents, and investigative
journalism. Many deaths remain classified as "Unknown/Pending" due to lack of
official transparency.

Unknown/Pending: 704
Natural/Medical: 664
Homicide: 263
Suicide: 118
Overdose: 58
Other: 47
Accident: 25
Medical Neglect: 9
Execution: 1
Deliberate Indifference: 1

SPECIAL NOTE ON HOMICIDES:
- Database identified homicides: 263
- Estimated actual homicides (2024): 100
- Many homicides are initially classified as "Unknown" or misreported
- GPS investigative reporting has identified additional homicide cases
- GDC does not release official homicide statistics

Sources for cause of death data:
- Unknown
- Official (GDC)
- Prisoner Report
- Family Report
- News/Media
- Legal Filing
- Autopsy Report
- Medical Examiner
- Advocacy Organization
- County Coroner

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DEATHS BY FACILITY
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Facilities ranked by total deaths (highest first):

1. AUGUSTA STATE MEDICAL PRISON: 390 deaths
2. COASTAL STATE PRISON: 134 deaths
3. GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON: 122 deaths
4. MACON STATE PRISON: 89 deaths
5. JOHNSON STATE PRISON: 88 deaths
6. WARE STATE PRISON: 87 deaths
7. VALDOSTA STATE PRISON: 70 deaths
8. PHILLIPS STATE PRISON: 69 deaths
9. BALDWIN STATE PRISON: 63 deaths
10. TELFAIR STATE PRISON: 59 deaths
11. DOOLY STATE PRISON: 50 deaths
12. WILCOX STATE PRISON: 48 deaths
13. GEORGIA STATE PRISON: 46 deaths
14. WHEELER CORRECTIONAL FACILITY: 45 deaths
15. CENTRAL STATE PRISON: 39 deaths
16. WASHINGTON STATE PRISON: 39 deaths
17. SMITH STATE PRISON: 38 deaths
18. HAYS STATE PRISON: 35 deaths
19. METRO REENTRY FACILITY: 33 deaths
20. PULASKI STATE PRISON: 30 deaths
21. CALHOUN STATE PRISON: 29 deaths
22. HANCOCK STATE PRISON: 27 deaths
23. COFFEE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY: 26 deaths
24. Arrendale State Prison: 24 deaths
25. AUTRY STATE PRISON: 22 deaths
26. JENKINS FACILITY: 20 deaths
27. RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON: 20 deaths
28. HELMS FACILITY: 18 deaths
29. DODGE STATE PRISON: 16 deaths
30. ROGERS STATE PRISON: 14 deaths
31. RIVERBEND CORRECTIONAL AND REHABILITATION FACILITY: 10 deaths
32. SPECIAL MANAGEMENT UNIT: 8 deaths
33. LEE STATE PRISON: 7 deaths
34. BURRUSS C.T.C: 6 deaths
35. GDC Hidden Deaths: 6 deaths
36. McRAE WOMEN’S FACILITY: 5 deaths
37. CLAYTON TRANSITIONAL CENTER: 4 deaths
38. TERRELL COUNTY PRISON: 4 deaths
39. AUGUSTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER: 3 deaths
40. COLUMBUS TRANSITIONAL CENTER: 3 deaths
41. MUSCOGEE COUNTY PRISON: 3 deaths
42. SMITH TRANSITIONAL CENTER: 3 deaths
43. ATLANTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER: 2 deaths
44. BAINBRIDGE PROBATION SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT CENTER: 2 deaths
45. COLQUITT COUNTY PRISON: 2 deaths
46. COWETA COUNTY PRISON: 2 deaths
47. FLOYD COUNTY PRISON: 2 deaths
48. JEFFERSON COUNTY PRISON: 2 deaths
49. LONG UNIT: 2 deaths
50. MONTGOMERY STATE PRISON: 2 deaths

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CAUSE OF DEATH BY FACILITY
================================================================================
What people died of, per facility. Facilities with at least
10 recorded deaths are listed; smaller counts are
omitted because a single case there swings the proportion far enough to mislead.

READ THE UNKNOWN SHARE FIRST. GDC does not publicly report cause of death, so a
large share of every facility's deaths are "Unknown/Pending" -- the percentage in
brackets is that share. The named causes below it describe only the REMAINDER, not
the facility's deaths as a whole. Systemwide, cause is unrecorded in
37% of deaths.

AUGUSTA STATE MEDICAL PRISON -- 390 deaths [20% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 280
    Unknown/Pending: 77
    Suicide: 13
    Homicide: 10
    Accident: 9
    Other: 1

COASTAL STATE PRISON -- 134 deaths [70% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 94
    Natural/Medical: 32
    Homicide: 5
    Other: 3

GEORGIA DIAGNOSTIC AND CLASSIFICATION STATE PRISON -- 122 deaths [41% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 50
    Natural/Medical: 40
    Suicide: 17
    Homicide: 7
    Overdose: 4
    Accident: 2
    Medical Neglect: 1
    Execution: 1

MACON STATE PRISON -- 89 deaths [48% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 43
    Homicide: 35
    Natural/Medical: 8
    Suicide: 3

JOHNSON STATE PRISON -- 88 deaths [57% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 50
    Natural/Medical: 12
    Homicide: 12
    Other: 8
    Suicide: 5
    Overdose: 1

WARE STATE PRISON -- 87 deaths [7% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 37
    Homicide: 21
    Suicide: 12
    Overdose: 8
    Unknown/Pending: 6
    Accident: 2
    Other: 1

VALDOSTA STATE PRISON -- 70 deaths [60% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 42
    Homicide: 17
    Suicide: 6
    Natural/Medical: 5

PHILLIPS STATE PRISON -- 69 deaths [6% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 36
    Homicide: 14
    Suicide: 8
    Overdose: 5
    Unknown/Pending: 4
    Accident: 1
    Medical Neglect: 1

BALDWIN STATE PRISON -- 64 deaths [67% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 43
    Homicide: 12
    Natural/Medical: 6
    Other: 3

TELFAIR STATE PRISON -- 59 deaths [27% cause unrecorded]
    Homicide: 19
    Unknown/Pending: 16
    Natural/Medical: 9
    Overdose: 6
    Suicide: 4
    Accident: 2
    Other: 2
    Medical Neglect: 1

DOOLY STATE PRISON -- 50 deaths [48% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 24
    Natural/Medical: 14
    Homicide: 7
    Overdose: 4
    Other: 1

WILCOX STATE PRISON -- 48 deaths [8% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 20
    Homicide: 9
    Overdose: 9
    Suicide: 4
    Unknown/Pending: 4
    Accident: 1
    Medical Neglect: 1

GEORGIA STATE PRISON -- 46 deaths [2% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 18
    Suicide: 12
    Homicide: 7
    Overdose: 4
    Accident: 2
    Unknown/Pending: 1
    Other: 1
    Medical Neglect: 1

WHEELER CORRECTIONAL FACILITY -- 45 deaths [40% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 18
    Natural/Medical: 14
    Other: 7
    Homicide: 4
    Suicide: 2

WASHINGTON STATE PRISON -- 42 deaths [17% cause unrecorded]
    Homicide: 15
    Natural/Medical: 9
    Unknown/Pending: 7
    Overdose: 6
    Suicide: 2
    Accident: 1
    Other: 1
    Medical Neglect: 1

CENTRAL STATE PRISON -- 39 deaths [62% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 24
    Homicide: 5
    Suicide: 3
    Other: 3
    Natural/Medical: 2
    Overdose: 2

SMITH STATE PRISON -- 38 deaths [18% cause unrecorded]
    Homicide: 18
    Unknown/Pending: 7
    Suicide: 6
    Natural/Medical: 3
    Overdose: 2
    Medical Neglect: 2

HAYS STATE PRISON -- 36 deaths [53% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 19
    Homicide: 10
    Natural/Medical: 6
    Accident: 1

METRO REENTRY FACILITY -- 33 deaths [36% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 20
    Unknown/Pending: 12
    Accident: 1

PULASKI STATE PRISON -- 30 deaths [67% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 20
    Natural/Medical: 6
    Suicide: 2
    Other: 2

CALHOUN STATE PRISON -- 29 deaths [52% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 15
    Homicide: 7
    Natural/Medical: 5
    Suicide: 1
    Deliberate Indifference: 1

HANCOCK STATE PRISON -- 27 deaths [26% cause unrecorded]
    Homicide: 17
    Unknown/Pending: 7
    Natural/Medical: 2
    Other: 1

COFFEE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY -- 26 deaths [58% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 15
    Natural/Medical: 4
    Other: 4
    Homicide: 2
    Suicide: 1

Arrendale State Prison -- 24 deaths [58% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 14
    Natural/Medical: 4
    Homicide: 4
    Suicide: 1
    Other: 1

AUTRY STATE PRISON -- 22 deaths [50% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 11
    Natural/Medical: 8
    Other: 2
    Suicide: 1

JENKINS FACILITY -- 20 deaths [5% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 15
    Suicide: 2
    Homicide: 1
    Overdose: 1
    Unknown/Pending: 1

RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON -- 20 deaths [50% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 10
    Natural/Medical: 5
    Homicide: 4
    Suicide: 1

HELMS FACILITY -- 18 deaths [17% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 15
    Unknown/Pending: 3

DODGE STATE PRISON -- 16 deaths [13% cause unrecorded]
    Natural/Medical: 7
    Suicide: 3
    Homicide: 2
    Unknown/Pending: 2
    Overdose: 1
    Other: 1

ROGERS STATE PRISON -- 14 deaths [21% cause unrecorded]
    Suicide: 5
    Natural/Medical: 3
    Overdose: 3
    Unknown/Pending: 3

RIVERBEND CORRECTIONAL AND REHABILITATION FACILITY -- 10 deaths [40% cause unrecorded]
    Unknown/Pending: 4
    Natural/Medical: 3
    Other: 3

================================================================================
DEATHS BY FACILITY TYPE
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State Prison: 1,707
Private Prison: 101
Transitional Center: 22
County Correctional Institution: 20
Medical Facility: 18
Diagnostic/Classification: 8
Unknown: 6
Probation Detention Center: 4
RSAT Center: 3
Integrated Treatment Facility: 1

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DEATHS BY SECURITY LEVEL
================================================================================
Close: 1,108
Medium: 638
Unknown/N/A: 95
Minimum: 25
Unknown: 24

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AGE DISTRIBUTION
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Average age at death: 52.0 years

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USER-REPORTED DEATHS (Included in Statistics)
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The following deaths have been reported by family members, advocates, or
community sources and have been verified/approved for inclusion in our
statistics. These deaths are NOT yet in GDC official records.

Total user-reported deaths (approved): 6
Recent user-reported deaths:
- Unknown (Date unknown) - WHEELER CORRECTIONAL FACILITY - Cause: Unknown/Pending

NOTE: User-reported cause of death data is included in the cause breakdown
above. Many of these reports identify deaths as homicides, suicides, or
overdoses that would otherwise be classified as "Unknown/Pending" in
official records.

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PENDING REPORTS (Awaiting Verification)
================================================================================
The following death reports have been submitted but are awaiting verification.

Total pending reports: 6
-  KG (2026-04-01) - HAYS STATE PRISON
- John Doe (2026-02-18) - BALDWIN STATE PRISON
- John Doe (2026-02-17) - WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
- John Doe 2 (2026-02-17) - WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
- John Doe 3 (2026-02-17) - WASHINGTON STATE PRISON
- Kenneth Thomas Paige (2022-10-13) - AUGUSTA TRANSITIONAL CENTER

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DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY
================================================================================
This mortality data is compiled from multiple sources:

1. OFFICIAL SOURCES:
   - Georgia Department of Corrections annual reports
   - GDC responses to Open Records Act requests
   - State vital records (when accessible)

2. INVESTIGATIVE SOURCES:
   - News media reports
   - Court documents and legal filings
   - Medical examiner reports (when public)
   - Family member accounts and obituaries

3. COMMUNITY SOURCES:
   - Reports from incarcerated individuals
   - Family member submissions via GPS website
   - Advocacy organization data sharing

LIMITATIONS:
- GDC does not publicly report cause of death
- Many deaths go unreported or are delayed in reporting
- Cause of death classifications are GPS determinations based on available evidence
- User-reported deaths require verification before inclusion in official counts

For complete records, visit: https://gps.press/gdc-mortality/
For questions or corrections: info@gps.press

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RELATED RESOURCES
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- Full mortality database: https://gps.press/gdc-mortality/
- GDC Statistics: https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/
- Facility data: https://gps.press/facilities-data/
- Statistics data: https://gps.press/statistics-data/
- AI Index: https://gps.press/ai-index/

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END OF MORTALITY DATA
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