A Georgia inmate shot and killed an Aramark food service employee Sunday at Smith State Prison in Glennville.
Jaydrekus Hart shot the employee while working in the prison kitchen at 4:30 a.m., according to The Georgia Department of Corrections. The inmate then shot himself, the GDC said, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The worker, Aureon Shavea Grace, died at the scene.
Here are some key details about the prison.
Capacity: 1526
Number of prisoners: 1326 (as of May 2024)
Number serving life sentences: 523
Validated gang “Security Threat Group” affiliation: 761
Correctional officers on staff: 54 (Presumed number provided by GDC for January)
Correctional officer vacancy rate: 66.67%
Confirmed 2023 homicides: 7 prisoners and 1 correctional officer, the most of any Georgia state prison. One of the prisoners who was killed lay dead in his bunk for five days before prison staff noticed.
Total 2023 deaths: 11
EMS transports for stabbings and other assaults in 2023: Average of about two ambulance transports per week
Most notorious inmate: Nathan Weekes, accused of running a multimillion-dollar contraband scheme and ordering three murders outside the prison. The prison’s former warden is accused of taking cash payments in the contraband scheme.
Security level: Close, because prisoners are escape risks, assault histories or are deemed dangerous. This is akin to being in maximum security.
Structure: The facility has 16 general population housing units and one segregation/isolation building.
Credit: AJC staff
Credit: AJC staff
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