Georgia prisoner died after being left for hours in smoke-filled cell
Case results in record $5 million settlement by the state after a medical examiner ruled the death a homicide
Late one afternoon in the mental health unit at Augusta State Medical Prison, Thomas Henry Giles set his mattress on fire, apparently as some form of protest.
Two of the officers assigned to supervise him saw him do it. As smoke clogged the dorm, other prisoners were moved out. But nobody removed Giles from his locked, smoke-filled cell for more than three hours. There, he was left to die.
Giles’ death was quickly ruled a homicide by a GBI medical examiner. The decision was based in part on the Georgia Department of Correction’s own internal investigation, which determined that Giles died because of “the delay and negligence” of officers in removing him from his unventilated cell.
But none of those involved in the 2020 death have been held accountable, in yet another example of the failures of the state prison system. No criminal charges have been filed, nor were the officers disciplined by the Department of Corrections. In fact, one still works for the GDC in a supervisory role at the prison hospital.
Now, the state has agreed to pay Giles’ family $5 million to settle a lawsuit over his death. It’s believed to be the largest amount paid to settle a claim against Georgia over a state prison inmate’s death or injury.
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