In the wake of a series of violent incidents at Hays State Prison, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles moved its scheduled hearings from the prison to the Floyd County Jail on Wednesday.

“This was our call,” said Steve Hayes, a parole board spokesman. “The (Georgia Department of Corrections) did not ask us.”

The change is temporary, Hayes said, but he emphasized that the decision was not caused by safety concerns. It takes prison staff to help with the parole hearings, and “we did not want to serve as a distraction.”

Several violent incidents have been reported at the Trion facility in the past few months.

Three prisoners have been killed there in the past four months. Last month, a 19-year-old Hays prisoner was killed at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson after he was transferred there.

Two correctional officers who work at the facility were assaulted by prisoners on Jan. 27, receiving minor injuries.

The parole board has not conducted hearings at the prison since its Jan. 16 meeting, moving them to other state facilities.

Wednesday was the first day hearings took place at the Floyd County Jail, Hayes said.

Jail officials had to move inmates’ first appearance hearings from 9 a.m. to the afternoon, said Sheriff Tim Burkhalter.