The day after advocates held a protest over conditions in Georgia prisons, a state inmate died after a violent incident at Baldwin State Prison in Hardwick.
The Georgia Department of Corrections confirmed Thursday morning the death of Johnny Vaughn “after an altercation with several inmates.”
His death is being investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Standards. The county coroner will determine the manner and cause of death, pending autopsy results by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the department said.
Vaughn’s death came the same week that a Georgia prison employee was slain. Correctional Officer Robert Clark, 42, died Sunday after inmate Layton Lester assaulted him from behind with a homemade weapon, according to the Department of Corrections. Lester is serving a life sentence for murder, according to state records.
Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections
Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections
Protesters had gathered on Tuesday outside the Governor’s Mansion to urge Gov. Brian Kemp to immediately address violent conditions, understaffing and medical neglect inside the state prison system.
The governor’s office did not respond to the AJC’s request for comment.
Advocates and families of those incarcerated in Georgia’s state prisons have been pushing for more than two years for the state to take action, and the Department of Justice in 2021 announced it was investigating violence and conditions.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month revealed that hundreds of prison employees have been arrested for smuggling in contraband, usually illicit drugs and cellphones.
Prison officials acknowledge that contraband fuels violence among inmates. State prisons also are understaffed, and advocates say that those in prison aren’t adequately protected from violence because the state doesn’t have enough officers to keep watch and intervene effectively.
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