Commissioner : Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Officer Deshawn Jones Honored

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) presented Deshawn Jones with the Bobby Franklin Award at the 12th Annual GDC Awards ceremony on June 9 at GDC Headquarters in Forsyth, Ga. 

“The Department is proud to honor Deshawn for his extraordinary bravery,” said Commissioner Homer Bryson.  “He has 10 years of experience under his belt, and he is an invaluable asset to the Department.”

The Bobby Franklin Award was created to honor the memory of Correctional Officer Bobby Franklin of the Colwell Probation Detention Center.  Officer Franklin died on August 20, 2003 while deployed in Iraq.  He was a Staff Sergeant with the 210th National Guard Military Police in Franklin, NC and voluntarily lengthened his tour of duty to remain with his troops. He began his career with the Department of Corrections in 1987. 

Jones is the Unit Manager at Lee Arrendale State Prison. He began his career in 2006 and has served as Assistant Commander of the GDC Honor Guard, Shift OIC, and CERT Sergeant. One morning on the way to work, Jones approached a traffic accident. He realized that a woman was trapped in one of the vehicles and that there was a large amount of smoke coming from the engine. He ran to the vehicle and found that he could not get the door open due to the damage from the accident. Because of this, he bent the window frame down, reached in and grabbed the woman, lifted her out of the car, and carried her to safety.

Several key officials were on hand for the ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 guests.  Making the award presentation with Chief of Staff Greg Dozier were Assistant Commissioner of Administration & Finance Scott Poitevint, Assistant Commissioner of Facilities Timothy C. Ward, Assistant Commissioner of Inmate Services Dr. L.C. ‘Buster’ Evans and keynote speaker Randall Godfrey.

The 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 478-992-5248 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.