Georgia Department of Corrections
Brian Owens, Commissioner
Director of Public Affairs
Joan Heath
Contact: Office of Public Affairs (478) 992-5248
STATE OF GEORGIA
For Immediate Release
2011 James Henderson Award Winner Named - Surveillance Officer James Yawn Honored
Forsyth - The Department of Corrections awarded Surveillance Officer James Yawn of the McRae Probation Office with the James Henderson Memorial Award at the Eighth Annual GDC Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at the State Offices South at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.
"The Department is honored to present James with this award," said Commissioner Brian Owens. "He, without question deserves to be recognized for everything he does for the Department and his community," added Owens.
The James Henderson Award was created to honor the memory of Correctional Officer James Henderson of Georgia State Prison for placing service above self and extraordinary bravery beyond the call of duty. Officer Henderson died on June 3, 2002 of injuries sustained in the line of duty. He was a valued officer at Georgia State Prison from 1994 –2002. Henderson was an Army veteran who served in Korea, Germany and the United States.
Surveillance Officer Yawn began his career with the Department over 11 years ago. Early in his career, he held ranks of Correctional Officer, Sergeant and Lieutenant at Telfair State Prison. On September 17, 2007, he joined the McRae Probation Office as a Surveillance Officer.
Several key officials were on hand for the ceremony, which was attended by 200 guests. Making the award presentation with the Commissioner were Board of Corrections Secretary Rose Williams, Assistant Commissioner Timothy C. Ward and special guest speaker, State Representative Jay Neal.
The Department of Corrections is the fourth largest prison system in the United States and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and over 150,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 12,000 employees.
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