DETROIT (AP) — A judge claimed he didn’t like the attitude of a student who was on a field trip to tour a Detroit court, thus the teen ended up in handcuffs and jail garb.
According to WXYZ-TV, Judge Kenneth King even questioned the other children present in the courtroom on Tuesday about whether the 16-year-old girl ought to be placed in juvenile incarceration.
King, a 36th District Court employee, justified his behavior.
Although I doubt I’ll actually put her in jail, I wanted this to appear and feel very serious to her. Speaking about a documentary about juvenile offenders in New Jersey, King remarked, “That was my own version of Scared Straight.”
The teenager was visiting King’s court as part of a non-profit environmental organization called The Greening of Detroit’s tour. King saw the girl nodding off during the visit, according to WXYZ.
The judge was seen on camera saying, “You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in back, understood?”
King then made the girl put on handcuffs and change into jail attire.
“I was disturbed by her entire attitude and disposition,” the judge stated to WXYZ. “I wanted to make it clear to her how serious this is and how you should behave in a courtroom.”
Before releasing her, King also threatened to put her in juvenile jail.
The judge declared, “I’ll do whatever it takes to get to these kids and make sure they don’t end up in front of me.”
In a statement, The Greening of Detroit said that the “young lady was traumatized.”
Chairperson Marissa Ebersole Wood stated, “The judge’s methods were unacceptable, even though he was trying to teach a lesson of respect.” “If he believed the students were being disrespectful, he should have just asked them to leave the courtroom.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Judge Aliyah Sabree, the court’s No. 2 leader, stated that King’s actions “does not reflect the standards we uphold at 36th District Court.”
Sabree declared, “I am determined to handle this matter with the utmost diligence.”
A message from The Associated Press requesting a comment from King received no answer right away.
Professor Larry Dubin of the University of Detroit Mercy’s law school stated, “There were so many other ways in which to have helped that young girl learn.”
King said to WXYZ that he offered to be a mentor after speaking with the girl’s parents.