A 15-year-old girl was forced by a judge to wear handcuffs and a prison uniform during a trip to court in Detroit, United States, according to several international media reports.
Last Tuesday, some children participating in a three-week program with the nonprofit organization The Greening of Detroit went to a courthouse for a field trip, WXYZ-TV reported.
However, a teenage girl in the group fell asleep during a Zoom meeting with Judge Kenneth King.
“Why are you disrespecting this courtroom?” Mr.e King. You sleep at home, in your bed, not in court. And frankly, I don’t like your attitude.”
After some argument, he also allegedly ordered him to put on prison clothes and sit in a cell, handcuffed.
She reportedly replied that she “apologized” and was “simply tired.”
He eventually threatened to put the teenager in a juvenile detention center, but let her go after the activity was over.
“Was I really going to do it? Probably not. Could I have done it? Probably. But that’s not what I want to do to a child who’s here on a school trip,” the judge said.
He doesn’t think he went too far with his gestures.
“Totally inappropriate”
During the hearing, a real lawyer showed up to defend the girl.
“She’s nervous and she has difficulty speaking in front of an audience,” he said. “She didn’t necessarily want to speak today, she’s just tired.”
For a former lawyer, this situation is unacceptable.
“Just totally inappropriate. There are so many other ways to help this young girl learn,” Larry Dubin told WXYZ-TV. “I’ve never seen anything like what happened in that courtroom.”
The teenager is said to be very shaken by the event.
“We spoke to the student and her parents and the girl was traumatized by the disciplinary treatment and unnecessary reprimands from the judge,” The Greening of Detroit organization said in a statement obtained by the American media.
Judge Kenneth King has also been temporarily removed from his duties.
