Democrats demand reform after another person dies in Bibb County Jail
The recent death of an incarcerated man is a sign of systemic problems at the Bibb County Jail, according to the Macon-Bibb County Democratic Committee.
Local Democrats called for an unbiased investigation and updates on county-led reform initiatives after 24-year-old Quintavious Vincent Johnson was found dead in a cell Jan. 29 , a news release from the committee said.
“Deaths in custody are not isolated incidents,” the news release said. “They are warnings — and they must be treated as such.”
Johnson was one of three people who died at the jail in recent weeks, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Rachel Renee Robinson, 55, died on Jan. 18; and Willie Edward Drake, 51, died on Dec. 19, 2025.
The Democratic group requested “quarterly public, written updates on the status and effectiveness of reforms that were previously implemented by the mayor’s office.”
The press release listed several initiatives launched in recent years that were intended to improve mental health, staffing and overpopulation conditions at the Bibb County Jail, including:
- The Justice and Wellness Task Force was expected to perform a jail population audit for nonviolent offenders. Macon Justice Works was a program aimed to release people on free ankle monitors.
- An expansion of the jail in-reach program was supposed to expand mental health resources for incarcerated people
- A re-entry program was intended to help people transition from jail to the public
- A jail-based competency restoration program was meant to help people unfit for trail.
But there are still “gaps in oversight, medical care, staffing, training and leadership,” the local Democratic committee said.
Besides the recent reform efforts, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis and Mayor Lester Miller also have said an expansion to the jail will improve conditions for those inside. Construction is expected to start in the spring.
The local Democratic committee wants to see a “fully budgeted plan” for the expansion, the news release said.
“Being in custody should never amount to a death sentence,” the Democratic committee said.
The sheriff’s office, which oversees the jail, did not immediately provide The Telegraph with a response to the committee’s statements.
Legal action against jail
The committee wasn’t alone in calling for investigations into the Bibb County Jail.
Michael Hill, an attorney who focuses on wrongful deaths, medical malpractice and personal injuries, accused Davis and the jail of unconstitutional conduct that led to deaths at the jail in recent years.
Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock sent a letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi in September 2025, requesting the Department of Justice lead an investigation into the Bibb County Jail. Davis said he would comply with federal authorities if this moved forward. Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard also said she wants to see accountability for safety at the jail.
Dozens of assaults happened there each year since 2022, according to data analyzed by The Telegraph.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Macon chapter has also advocated for improvements at the jail, and was permitted to regularly tour the jail to identify internal issues first hand.
There were sanitary issues in mid-2025 including lice, rodents, broken toilets and showers, according to Macon NAACP president Gwenette Westbrooks and Maj. Brad Wolfe, who led the jail. Detainees also had to pay for soap and menstrual products, Westbrooks said.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.
