New Warden Named at Georgia State Prison

Commissioner : Brian Owens

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Toombs County Native Robert Toole Reassigned

Forsyth - Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens announced the reassignment of Robert Toole as the Warden of Georgia State Prison effective July 1, 2013. The facility is located in Reidsville, Georgia. As Warden, Toole will be responsible for overseeing 539 staff members and 1,530 special mission security male inmates.

"Robert has worked his way up through the ranks in the Department," said Commissioner Brian Owens. "His experience and knowledge will serve him well as he assumes his new role.

Toole has 17 years of experience with the Department of Corrections. Toole has served as a Correctional Officer, Counselor, Senior Counselor, Chief Counselor, Unit Manager, and Superintendent at Smith, Telfair, Milan State Prisons. He was transferred in April 2010 to the Office of Investigations and Compliance where he served as Compliance Manager. In August 2010, he was promoted to Warden of Wilcox State Prison. He was then transferred to Ware State Prison in 2012, where he most recently served as Warden.

Toole has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. He has completed Basic Correctional Officer Training, Basic Management Training, Corrections Leadership Institute, Pre-Command College and Command College.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and more than 160,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 12,000 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.