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16 officers quit, transfer from Hays State Prison

Sixteen corrections officers at a northwest Georgia prison have either quit or are transferring as a new warden is set to begin duty.

TRION, Ga. -- Sixteen corrections officers at a northwest Georgia prison have either quit or are transferring as a new warden is set to begin duty.

Some guards say they're not confident new security measures will keep them safe when a partial lockdown is lifted at the prison. The security upgrades were implemented in the wake of four inmate deaths.

RELATED | Collusion alleged between Hays State guards, inmates

Officers now wear stab-proof vests and will soon carry pepper spray. State officials have also invested $2 million to upgrade the facility's security system after an audit revealed many locks on cell doors had been broken since at least 2010.

Seventeen officers quit in March 2012 after an employee was stabbed 21 times. The officer survived.

The prison's new warden, Scott Crickmar, begins duty Monday.

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