Ware State Prison is a Georgia Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Waycross, Ware County, Georgia.
The facility first opened in 1990, and has a maximum capacity of 1546 inmates.
History In 2013, the prison was involved in a series of lawsuits related to an attack on an inmate. The inmate, Cleveland Dunn, was attacked by a fellow inmate on September 9, 2011. Dunn alleged in his lawsuit that he did not receive adequate care for his injuries. Dunn claimed that over two weeks had passed before he was taken to Augusta State Medical Prison for medical treatment related to his injuries.At Ware State Prison, a brutal beating and a wait for hospital care The Atlanta Journal-Constitution In September 2016, the last of Dunn's lawsuits was dismissed; most of them due to immunity from prosecution under Georgia law.DUNN v. HART Civil Action No. 5:13-cv-131. Leagle
2020 Over the course of 2020, a number of inmates and staff contracted COVID-19. The state of Georgia reported 26 inmates and 58 staff members infected as of September 11, 2020, with two inmates dying from the virus.Riot at Ware State Prison in Georgia Leaves 2 Staff Members and 2 Inmates Injured Amid Reports of Violence on Livestreams Newsweek
On July 17, an investigation was launched into an incident where an inmate, Robert Wilson, was attacked by another inmate. Wilson died of his injures the same day.Inmate Death Under Investigation Georgia Department of Corrections Wilson's death was the third Georgia inmate of four to have died in July as a result of violence.4th Georgia prisoner killed in suspected homicide this month The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During the evening of August 1, a riot broke out at the prison that left at least three inmates and two staff members injured.UPDATE: South Georgia prison on lockdown after riot The Atlanta Journal-Constitution In the aftermath of the riot, the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia claimed that there had been ongoing issues at the prison since April.The Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia on Twitter: We have been dealing with issues at Ware State Prison since April 2020. Twitter
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