Telfair State Prison Honored

Commissioner : Brian Owens

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Named Facility of the Year

FORSYTH - Ga. - The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) honored Telfair State Prison as Facility of the Year at the Tenth Annual GDC Awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at State Offices South at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia. Warden William Danforth and staff accepted the award on behalf of Telfair State Prison.

"Telfair State Prison has gone above and beyond the call of duty in carrying out our agency's mission of effectively managing offenders," said Commissioner Brian Owens. "They are truly deserving of this highest honor."

The Facility of the Year award is presented to a facility that consistently scores well on various GDC report card measures including audits, bed utilization, vacancy rates, and staff turnover rates.

Telfair State Prison, located in Helena, is a close security facility with 294 staff members and approximately 1,241 adult male offenders.

Several key officials were on hand for the ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 guests. Making the award presentation with the Commissioner were Assistant Commissioner Timothy C. Ward, Board of Corrections Vice Chair Rose Williams, and special guest speakers Mercer University Athletic Director Jim Cole and Mercer University Men's Basketball Head Coach Bob Hoffman.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 55,000 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.