
The Georgia Department of Corrections has named a longtime Hays State Prison employee as the facility’s new warden, filling the leadership position following the unexpected death of Warden Joshua Jones earlier this summer.

The Georgia Department of Corrections has named a longtime Hays State Prison employee as the facility’s new warden, filling the leadership position following the unexpected death of Warden Joshua Jones earlier this summer.

The Georgia Department of Corrections and communities across Northwest Georgia are mourning the unexpected death of Hays State Prison Warden Joshua Jones, who passed away on July 4, 2026, at the age of 39.

A major contraband investigation has led to the seizure of nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine and multiple cell phones from a Georgia prison inmate’s cell, according to authorities.