“Controlled shakedown” at Georgia state prison turns briefly violent, GDC confirms

BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — On Saturday morning, the Georgia Department of Corrections said “several” inmates at Georgia Diagnostic & Classification Prison briefly prevented staff from leaving a dorm during a contraband search, leading to an incident where the inmates were injured, Channel 2 Action News has learned.

The prison is about an hour south of Atlanta. It’s home to the state’s male death row inmates, according to the GDC.

According to officials from GDC, inmates at the GDCP were part of “a minor disturbance involving several offenders” after prison security staff conducted “a controlled shakedown of the unit,” in question.

GDC said multiple contraband cell phones were recovered, and after staff found the phones, “offenders initially attempted to prevent them from exiting the unit.”

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The incident was isolated to a single dorm, according to a state corrections spokeswoman.

Officials said four offenders were found with minor injuries and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Additionally, GDC said that “reports of hostages being taken in the incident are inaccurate,” and that security staff were able to de-escalate the incident while preventing additional injuries.

Channel 2 Action News is working to learn more information about the situation and the inmates involved. We are waiting for additional response from the Georgia Department of Corrections.

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