New Warden at Valdosta State Prison

Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Shawn Emmons Reassigned

FORSYTH, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier announced the reassignment of Shawn Emmons to Warden at Valdosta State Prison (SP), effective July 1st. As Warden, Emmons will be responsible for overseeing 399 staff and 1,057 medium and close security offenders.

“Emmons is dedicated employee who has excelled in each role he has held with the department,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “We are confident that his leadership will be a great asset to the staff and offenders at Valdosta State Prison.”

Emmons began his career with the GDC in 1998 as a Correctional Officer at Valdosta SP. During his time at Valdosta SP, he served as an Offender Rehabilitation Counselor and Chief Counselor. In 2013, he was promoted to Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Valdosta SP. He was later promoted to Warden at Johnson State Prison in 2015 and was reassigned to Warden at Wilcox State Prison, where he has served since 2017.

Emmons received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Valdosta State University. He has completed the following departmental training: Basic Correctional Officer Training (BCOT), Basic Counselor Training, Re-Entry Specialist Training, Sex Offender Release and Registration Training, PREA Compliance Training, Basis Management Training (BMT), Advanced Management Training (AMT), Corrections Leadership Institute (CLI), Deputy Wardens Academy and Warden’s Pre-Command.

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.