Georgia Department of Corrections Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Update

Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Georgia Department of Corrections Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Update

FORSYTH, Ga. - The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) announced today the death of two offenders due to complications related to COVID-19. One offender, who had been housed at Autry State Prison, was 68 years old, had been hospitalized at a local hospital in Thomasville, Georgia, and was pronounced deceased on April 22 at approximately 8:15 p.m. The second offender, who had been housed at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, was 44 years old, had been hospitalized at a local hospital in Griffin, Georgia, and was pronounced deceased on April 22 at approximately 10:55 p.m. Both offenders had underlying medical conditions.

Additional updates related to GDC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic will be provided via our website http://gdc.ga.gov and social media channels. Status of confirmed positive cases are maintained via a dashboard on the website, which will be updated daily at 6:00 p.m.

The GDC’s Office of Health Services is working closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health to ensure appropriate protocols and guidelines are followed while managing the safety and welfare of our staff and offender population.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.