Ware State Prison fire-exit inspection: the September 24, 2026 follow-up report
The State Fire Marshal's third inspection of Ware State Prison's fire exits, on September 24, 2026, three months after the first. The warden and GDC's fire chief told the inspector that nothing had been changed on the doors and the barrel bolts had not been removed. Warden James C. Spann said any plan of correction would come from GDC's facilities department. The report again rates the prison Non-Compliant on means of egress, with findings that it says reflect the two earlier inspections. The first two inspections are in request S000148-090126.
Status: OCI released the September 24 report on September 30, 2026. It has not released a GDC plan of correction, scheduling records, or plan-review submissions for replacement locks (items 2 and 3).
Documents as released (1)
| Document | Received | File |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection report, September 24, 2026 follow-up (Follow-Up #2, permit INS26-003833) Signed September 24, 2026. Means of egress Non-Compliant. Records the warden and fire chief saying nothing had been changed on the doors and the barrel bolts had not been removed. A further follow-up was scheduled for about 30 days later. | September 30, 2026 | PDF, 2 p., 34 KB |
What we asked for
Re: S000148-090126 (Ware State Prison, Safety Fire egress inspection records) Following our message of September 2, 2026. The Follow-Up #1 report of August 24, 2026 (Permit INS26-003396) states that a further follow-up inspection of Ware State Prison was scheduled in approximately 30 days. That window has arrived, so we ask that the following be added to this request: 1. The report of the follow-up inspection of Ware State Prison conducted after August 24, 2026 (Follow-Up #2), with its findings, photographs, and the compliance status of the means of egress, when it is complete. 2. Records showing when that follow-up inspection was scheduled and conducted, who attended for the Safety Fire Division and for the Department of Corrections, and any correspondence with the Department of Corrections or Ware State Prison arranging it. 3. Any plan of correction, corrective-action statement, or notice received from the Department of Corrections or Ware State Prison since August 24, 2026 describing how the noncompliant locking devices will be or have been removed or replaced, and any plan-review or engineering submission for replacement locking hardware at Ware State Prison received by the Building Inspections, Plan Review & CMS program. Items 3 and 4 of the original request remain open. For each, please produce the responsive records or state in writing that none exist. Electronic delivery through this portal or to accountability@gps.press is fine. Our fee agreement of up to $50.00 stands; please notify us before exceeding it. The GDC Accountability Project, Inc. (Georgia Prisoners' Speak) 285 W Wieuca Rd NE, PMB #4153, Atlanta, GA 30342 accountability@gps.press
Sent through: OCI open-records portal (GovQA)
What happened
| September 21, 2026 | Added to request S000148-090126 at GPS's request after the August report said another follow-up would come in about 30 days; OCI opened it as S000160-092126. |
| September 30, 2026 | OCI released the Follow-Up #2 inspection report (File 26-009306, permit INS26-003833). |
Cost
$0.00: No fee charged
Machine-readable
- JSON: https://gps.press/records/s000160-092126/?format=json
- Markdown: https://gps.press/records/s000160-092126.md
- REST API: https://gps.press/wp-json/gps-public-records/v1/requests/S000160-092126
Records requested under the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq.), by Georgia Prisoners' Speak or, where a page says so, by another person or group who shared them with GPS. Documents marked "as released" are posted exactly as the agency released them. Files marked "prepared by GPS" are GPS's own compilations of those documents, made for convenience; where they differ, the released document governs. A request is published here when GPS cites it or when its records are useful to readers; records about individual deaths are published on GPS's mortality pages, not here.