The Georgia Department of Corrections has named a longtime Hays State Prison employee as the facility’s new warden, filling the leadership position following the unexpected death of Warden Joshua Jones earlier this summer. GDC Commissioner Tyrone Oliver announced Friday that Gabriel Illa has been promoted from Deputy Warden of Security to Warden of Hays State Prison, effective September 1. Illa will oversee the prison’s staff and approximately 1,086 male offenders at the close-security facility in Chattooga County. “Gabriel has worked his way up through the ranks and excelled in each position he has held with the agency,” Oliver said in announcing the promotion, adding that Illa’s correctional experience will be valuable to Hays’ staff and mission. The new warden already has nearly two decades of experience at the institution he will now lead. Illa began his Georgia Department of Corrections career in 2007 as a correctional officer at Hays State Prison. He subsequently worked his way through a number of security and supervisory positions, serving as a CERT Sergeant, Lieutenant, Tactical Squad member, Chief of Security and Unit Manager. In 2023, Illa was promoted to Deputy Warden of Security at Hays, the position he held before being selected as warden. His earlier service as a unit manager is also documented in federal court records. A 2025 federal court decision involving events at Hays in 2020 identifies Illa as the unit manager responsible for the unit involved in that…
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