Marshals Service to Relocate 400 Georgia Detainees to Remote Facility, Sparking Legal and Safety Concerns
The U.S. Marshals Service is moving approximately 400 pre-trial detainees from the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, to the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, starting the week of September 21, 2026. The transfer, which will occur in waves over five weeks and conclude by October 31, 2026, is driven by concerns over unsafe conditions at the GEO Group-run facility, including malfunctioning locks and structural defects. Critics, including federal judges and public defenders, warn that the new location is 188 miles from the Atlanta courthouse, creating logistical nightmares for trials, increasing costs, and potentially compromising defendants' access to counsel. The move follows a decision not to renew the GEO contract, which had been under scrutiny for staffing issues since a 2020 audit.