Gwinnett Sheriff's Use Of Restraint Chair Approved By Judge

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA -- A federal judge has ruled in favor of Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway's use of restraint chairs for unruly inmates.

The ruling came in response to a 2013 lawsuit filed by four former inmates who challenged the use of the chairs, which law-enforcement calls a safety tool reserved for disruptive inmates who pose danger to themselves or others.

U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones granted a summary judgement to the sheriff and his staff on Friday.

He had made a similar ruling in February of last year, but the case was sent to him to reconsider after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a related matter.

In a 66-page ruling, the district court found that no constitutional violations had happened and dismissed all of the plaintiffs' claims.

In a news release, Conway voiced support for the Gwinnett County Jail's Rapid Response Team, which is tasked with handling jail emergencies and, at times, uses the restraint chairs.

"I’ve been proud of the Rapid Response Team and their excellent work since the team was formed in 2008," Conway said. "They train hard to maintain a safe environment in the jail for inmates and staff alike."

He made note of the fact that federal courts have now cleared his office twice in the case.

"When you do things the right way, things always seem to work out in your favor," Conway said.

The lawsuit had claimed that sheriff's deputies used excessive force when doing takedowns of inmates in the jail. Hundreds of hours of video they submitted showed inmates being tasered and tackled and included an incident in which they said an inmate's nose was broken while in a restraint chair.