SOP 203.03: Incident Reporting

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 1 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

I. Introduction and Summary:

Each facility is required to document all Incidents and to report all Major Incidents to
the Facilities Division of the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). This policy
is applicable to all state facilities, private prisons, county prisons, and centers housing
GDC Offenders.

II. Authority:

A. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §: 125-2-4-.20; 125-3-1-.07; 125-4-4-.10, and 125-4-4-.11;

B. GDC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): 103.01, Criminal Investigations;

203.04, Notification/Clearance of Escapes; 208.03, Death of an Offender; 208.06,
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) - Sexually Abusive Behavior Prevention and
Intervention Program; 209.04, Use of Force and Restraint for Offender Control;
215.04, Transitional Center Security Procedures & Responsibilities; and 508.03
Death Notification, Critical Incident, and Investigation; and

C. ACA Standards: 2-CO-1C-05, 5-ACI-3A-31; 5-ACI-3A-32 (Mandatory); 5-ACI
3A-35 (Mandatory); 5-ACI-4A-19; 5-ACI-6A-36; 4-ACRS-1C-01; 4-ACRS-1C01-1; 4-ACRS-2B-02; and 5-ALDF-2B-11.

III. Definitions:

As used in this SOP, these terms are defined as follows.

A. Major Incidents - Activities that are outside normal routine and might cause

public concern or notoriety. Such Incidents affect the health, safety, custody,
control, or management of the Offender, or the health, safety and management of
staff. Examples of these would be: the death or suicide of an Offender; serious
injuries, accidents, and illness of Offenders and of staff during work activities;
allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment concerning Offenders and staff;
disturbances, escapes, riots, hunger strikes, hostage taking, use of force,
Offender(s) remaining in restraints at the end of the shift, discharge of a firearm or
other weapon, use of chemical agents to control Offenders, and work stoppages;

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 2 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

fire with major property damage or evacuation, problems with keys, fences, or
gates that compromise the security of the prison; major mechanical breakdowns
that affect the orderly operation of the prison; and staff contact with blood. Escapes
will require additional reporting according to GDC SOP 203.04,
Notification/Clearance of Escapes, and GDC SOP 215.04, Transitional Center
Security Procedures & Responsibilities.

B. Minor Incidents - Activities that are considered within the normal routine at

facilities/centers and would not cause any adverse public concern or notoriety.
Examples of such Incidents would be certain non-serious Offender injuries that
can be addressed or treated by the local facility medical staff, Minor damage to
state property or equipment that does not affect the orderly operation of the facility,
or the issuance of emergency keys for non-emergencies.

C. Offender - A person who has been placed under the supervision of Georgia

Department of Corrections.

D. The State Repository of Information System (SCRIBE) - GDC’s official

Offender records management system.

IV. Statement of Policy and Applicable Procedures:

A. All Incidents will be reported to the Regional Director as soon as possible.

Offender or staff who require medical attention because of an injury in an incident
shall receive immediate medical examination and treatment. During the initial call,
the Warden/Superintendent will provide as much information as possible; for
example, the person(s) involved, ID number(s), STG, injuries if applicable,
location of incident, and type of incident. Once an assessment of the situation is
obtained, all other pertinent information will be relayed to the Regional Director.
The Regional Director shall then advise the Director of Field Operations of those
incidents that are determined to be Major Incidents.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 3 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

B. Once advised by the Regional Director, the Warden/Superintendent or designee

will contact GDC Communications Center in Forsyth, GA at (478) 992-5111
(Telephone); (478) 992-5119 (Fax).

1. GDC Central Communications Center shall notify:

a. Division Director;

b. Office of Communications;

c. Office of Professional Standards;

d. Director of Special Operations; and

e. Others as directed.

C. Incident Reports - Attachment 1, Incident Report Form, is the standard document

that must be utilized when reporting an incident in writing. Attachment 2, Incident
Report Supplement Form, shall be utilized to summarize all Incidents, including
those involving the use of force. Both Attachments, along with witness statements
and supporting documentation, shall be completed after any incident and submitted
to the Warden/Superintendent or designee no later than the conclusion of the tour
of duty.

For incident reporting on Use of Force, refer to GDC SOP 209.04, Use of Force
and Restraint for Offender Control.

NOTE: Attachments of this policy should not be confused with Attachments from
GDC SOP 209.04, Use of Force and Restraint for Offender Control.

D. The following describe reporting expectations and time requirements for those

reports:

1. After any Major Incident, especially in the event of the death of an Offender,

a telephone report shall be made immediately to the Regional Director and

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 4 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

upon authorization, to the Communications Center. The notification process
for Offender deaths is outlined in GDC SOP 208.03, Death of an Offender.

2. The Shift Officer-in-Charge (OIC) will submit an Incident Report by the end

of the designated shift and forward it to the Chief of Security for review. The
Chief of Security will be responsible for reviewing and forwarding to the
Deputy Warden of Security for review. After the final review, the Incident
Report will be forwarded to the Warden/Superintendent. Other information or
reports shall be provided after the initial Incident Report if the information
becomes available or as an investigation continues. Such activity shall be
coordinated with the Regional Director.

3. The original Incident Report and Incident Report Supplemental Form,

Attachments 1 and Attachment 2, shall remain at the facility or center where
the incident occurred, and copies shall be made and placed in the appropriate
file(s) of Offender(s) and/or staff member(s) involved in the Incident. The
Warden/Superintendent shall make the determination as to whether the
Incident is Major or Minor Incident. A tracking system should be developed at
the local level which shall include, but not be limited to, the following areas:

a. Use of force, injury or death of an Offender, injury or death of staff, use of

weapon, facility mechanical breakdowns, chemical Incidents, fire,
Offender sexual assault/sexual misconduct allegations, etc.

b. PREA reports shall be processed according to GDC SOP 208.06, Prison

Rape Elimination Act (PREA) - Sexually Abusive Behavior Prevention
and Intervention Program.

NOTE: Requests for time extension for final report submittal shall be
submitted to the Regional Director.

4. The report shall be reviewed and signed by the Warden/Superintendent or, in

their absence, a designee.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 5 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

5. The following main points shall be addressed:

a. Who? Identify person(s) involved, Offenders, staff, and/or others.

b. What? Details of the incident, conversation or circumstances being

reported.

c. When? The exact time of day, day of week, and the date of when the

incident began and when it ended.

d. Where? The exact location of the incident.

e. How? The order or sequence of events.

f. The appropriate corrective action for all Incidents that result in injury to a

staff member or Offender.

6. All Incident Reports shall be completed and entered into the SCRIBE database,

within five (5) calendar days of the date of the incident.

7. Routing of Major Incident Reports:

a. The routing of any Major Incident Reports should adhere to the following

procedures:

i. The Warden/Superintendent shall forward any Major Incident Report

to the appropriate Regional Director in accordance with GDC SOP
103.01, Criminal Investigations. Additionally, the reporting
requirements in GDC SOP 209.04, Use of Force and Restraint for
Offender Control, shall also be utilized.

ii. In those cases that are considered to be appropriate, or where there is a

need for additional investigation, the Regional Director will forward

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|Policy Name:Incident Reporting|
|Policy Number: 203.03|Effective Date: 04/01/2025|Page Number: 6 of 6|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

the Incident Report to the Field Operations Director for review and
dissemination.

8. In any situation involving the reporting of Incidents, the
Warden/Superintendent shall serve as the official record keeper for both Major
and Minor Reports.

V. Attachments:

[Attachment 1: Incident Report Form](https://gdc.policyhub.com/PolicyHub/Documents.aspx?doc=1396&rev=1397)
Attachment 2: Incident Report Supplement Form

VI. Record Retention of Forms Relevant to this Policy:

The original handwritten versions of Attachment 1 and Attachment 2 shall remain at
the facility/center where the incident occurred. A copy shall be made and placed in the
file(s) of associated Offender(s) and/or staff member(s). Reports shall be retained for
three (3) years. PREA Incident Reports shall be processed according to GDC SOP
208.06, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) - Sexually Abusive Behavior Prevention
and Intervention Program and are retained in accordance with the established schedule
in that policy.