A former Georgia sheriff was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison for violating the civil rights of people detained in the Clayton County Jail. Victor Hill, who was employed with the Clayton County Sheriff, was convicted of multiple civil rights violations in October 2022 over unjustifiably strapping jail detainees in restraint chairs.
Hill was indicted on charges of violating detainees’ civil rights on four separate occasions. In each incident, Hill ordered the detainee to be placed in the restraint chair.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, “After Hill serves his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for six years, during which time he cannot have any role in law enforcement.”
Hill, during his time as Clayton County Sheriff, approved a “Inmate Restraint Chair” policy. The policy stated that “a restraint chair may be used by Security staff to provide safe containment of an inmate exhibiting violent or uncontrollable behavior and to prevent self-injury, injury to others or property damage when other control techniques are not effective.” The policy even emphasized that the restraint chair “will never be authorized as a form of punishment.”
US Attorney Buchanan after the sentencing said
Former Sheriff Victor Hill chose to disregard the welfare of some within his control. The evidence was clear in this case, there was absolutely no justification for Hill to order pretrial detainees to be strapped into restraint chairs for hours on end. These men suffered painful injuries. Without question, his actions not only hurt the victims but eroded the public’s trust in law enforcement. Hill brazenly abused his power and has been held accountable by a jury and a judge and will go to federal prison. Hill rejected one of the most basic tenets of law enforcement: that the U.S. Constitution forbids an officer – even a sheriff – from using unreasonable force.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp released an executive order on June 2, 2021 suspending Hill as Sheriff of Clayton County.
