The Georgia Department of Corrections has appointed Clay Tatum as the new warden of Hays State Prison effective today.
Warden Tatum will oversee 1,680 inmates and 393 staff members at the Trion, Ga., prison, according to a department news release.
He started with the department as a correctional officer in 1991, became lieutenant at Calhoun State Prison in Waycross, Ga., in 1996 and advanced in the rank structure until becoming warden of Calhoun State Prison.
The Department of Corrections is the fifth largest prison system in the United States 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 about 13,000 employees.