DETROIT — A judge put a teen in jail clothes and handcuffs because he didn’t like her behavior while she was on a school trip to see a Detroit court.
News station WXYZ-TV said that Judge Kenneth King asked other kids in the courtroom on Tuesday if they thought the 16-year-old girl should be sent to juvenile prison.
King, who works at the 36th District Court, explained what he did.
“I wanted her to think and feel like this was real, even though I probably won’t put her in jail.” That was my own version of “Scared Straight,”” King said, referring to a movie about New Jersey teens who break the law.
This teen went to see King’s Court as part of a trip set up by The Greening of Detroit, a non-profit environmental group. WXYZ reported that King saw the girl fall asleep while they were there.
A recording of the judge’s words shows that he said, “You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m going to put you in back, got that?”
King then made the girl put on handcuffs and jail clothes.
The judge told WXYZ, “It was her whole attitude and personality that bothered me.” “I wanted her to understand how serious this is and how you should act in court.”
Before letting her go, King also threatened to put her in youth detention.
“I will do everything that needs to be done to get these kids and keep them from coming before me,” the judge said.
In a statement, the Greening of Detroit said that the “young lady was traumatized.”
Chairperson Marissa Ebersole Wood said, “The judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, but his methods were not acceptable.” “He should have just told the students to leave the courtroom if he thought they were being rude.”
A statement from Judge Aliyah Sabree, the second most powerful person in the court, on Wednesday night said that King’s behavior “does not reflect the standards we uphold at 36th District Court.”
Sabree said, “I am committed to dealing with this matter with the utmost care.”
When The Associated Press sent King a message asking for a reaction, he didn’t answer immediately.
Larry Dubin, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School, said, “There were so many other ways to have helped that girl learn.”
King told WXYZ that he offered to be friends with the girl’s parents.