Fulton County Jailer Sentenced to Six Months on Federal Charges of Excessive Force

DENITA RENAE SHAW, 41, of Smyrna, Georgia, a former Fulton County Sheriff’s Detention Officer was sentenced June 24 by United States District Court Judge Owen J. Forrester to serve six months in federal prison on a felony charge of violating the civil rights of an inmate by using excessive force at the Fulton County Jail.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “This officer violated the Constitution and her oath of office when she assaulted a handcuffed inmate. For this reprehensible conduct, she will now walk in the shoes of her victim by becoming an inmate herself.”

Fulton County Sheriff Theodore Jackson said, “The preservation of an inmate's civil rights is vital to our legal system and while a person is being held at the Fulton County Jail it is crucial for detention officers to respect that. This type of behavior will not be tolerated and we will cooperate fully with federal authorities to punish offenders, no matter who they are.”

SHAW was sentenced to three months in prison, and three months of home confinement to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service. SHAW pleaded guilty to the charge on February 17, 2010.

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: On January 26, 2009, SHAW, working as a detention officer at the Fulton County Jail, used excessive force when she struck a handcuffed inmate with a milk crate at the Fulton County Jail. SHAW was terminated as a result of the incident.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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