TRION, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens appointed a new warden to oversee Hays State Prison in Chattooga County.
Clay Tatum, of Pelham, Ga., who has worked in 11 prisons in his career, was put in charge of the 20-year-old lockup Tuesday morning.
“One of my goals is to ask that more staff enroll in education,” Tatum said at the ceremony, explaining he thinks his staff pursuing higher education is key for running the facility.
Tatum will be in charge of an operational budget of more than $19 million and about 440 staff members, reports show.
Former warden Rick Jacobs spent six months in charge of the facility before being promoted to field operations manager for the Department of Corrections in July.