VALDOSTA — “It’s very frustrating,” said Jade Conway. “They’re not telling us anything.”
The frustration involves trying to get information on what happened to her brother Deontae, an inmate at Valdosta State Prison who was injured in an “altercation” Dec. 9, a Georgia Department of Corrections statement said.
Deontae Lamont Conway, 29, had been serving time for armed robbery with a release date in 2026, corrections department records show. He has a long string of aggravated assault and related criminal cases behind him, all from Cobb County, according to records.
The department said in a statement Wednesday that Deontae Conway was among three offenders involved in an altercation at the prison, with Conway being taken to a local hospital for “non-life threatening injuries.”
His sister has a different story.
Jade Conway said her family was told by a corrections officer that Deontae was walking by a gate going back to his housing unit, carrying a bag of personal goods, when he was jumped by seven gang members and stabbed.
Four other inmates carried him to the prison’s medical section, from which he was sent to the hospital, she said.
The Conway family was told Deontae’s wounds were critical, Jade said.
“We’ve gotten no official word (from corrections officials), no medical updates, nothing,” she said.
Attempts by the family to reach the prison warden resulted in a game of “phone tag” with calls being constantly forwarded and switched to various departments, Jade Conway said.
When the warden finally contacted the family they received very little information, she said.
“(Valdosta State Prison) is inmate-run,” Jade Conway said, claiming there was a general lack of inmate supervision.
In an email statement, the corrections department disputed that comment.
“With regard to the staffing concerns from one of your readers, there are no indications that such claims are accurate,” the statement said.
“As an overall statement, we would point out that correctional staffing, and law enforcement staffing in general is an issue not only in Georgia but across the country,” the statement said.
The corrections department has seen a net gain in the number of staff members being hired vs. the number who leave for eight consecutive months, the department said.
“Additionally, while we continue to actively recruit, (Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council) certified non-security staff and staff from other units are being brought in to help supplement at Valdosta State Prison. Meanwhile, our dedicated men and women continue to show up every day to ensure our commitment to public safety is maintained,” the statement said.
As far as finding out an inmate’s medical condition, the hospital cannot give that information out to anyone, said Erika Bennett, spokeswoman for South Georgia Medical Center.
A “forensic policy” prevents SGMC from giving out information on anyone who is in custody or who has a legal hold from law enforcement, she said. It’s considered a safety issue, Bennett said.