Judge who made US teen wear handcuffs and prison uniform for falling asleep taken off bench for ‘training’
2 min readIn short:
Detroit judge Kenneth King made a teenager wear a prison uniform and handcuffs for falling asleep in his courtroom during a field trip.
The teenager’s mother said her daughter was tired because they do not have a permanent residence.
What’s next?
Judge King has been taken off the bench to undergo “necessary training” but will continue to be paid.
A US judge will undergo “necessary training” for making a teenager wear handcuffs and a prison uniform in his courtroom.
Detroit judge Kenneth King punished the 15-year-old girl for falling asleep during a field trip and even asked other children present if she should be taken to juvenile detention, WXYZ-TV reported.
The court’s chief judge William McConico said Judge King had since been taken off the bench to undergo training following the incident on Tuesday.
The girl’s mother Latoreya Till identified her daughter as Eva Goodman and told the Detroit Free Press Judge King was a “big bully”.
“My daughter is hurt. She is feeling scared,” Ms Till said.
Ms Till said her daughter was sleepy during the court visit because the family does not have a permanent residence.
“And so, that particular night, we got in kind of late,” she said, referring to Monday night. “And usually, when she goes to work, she’s up and planting trees or being active.”
Eva fell asleep in Judge King’s court while on a visit organised by nonprofit Greening of Detroit
Judge King said it was her attitude that led to the jail clothes, handcuffs and stern words.
“I wanted this to look and feel very real to her, even though there’s probably no real chance of me putting her in jail,” he told WXYZ-TV.
“I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
Judge King has been temporarily removed from his criminal case docket and will undergo “necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident,” said Judge McConico, the chief judge at 36th District Court.
The court “remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect. The actions of Judge King on August 13th do not reflect this commitment,” Judge McConico said.
He said the State Court Administrative Office approved the step and Judge King will continue to be paid.
Details about the training, and how long it would last, were not disclosed.
“Although the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable,” said Marissa Ebersole Wood, Greening of Detroit chairperson.
“The group of students should have been simply asked to leave the courtroom if he thought they were disrespectful.”
AP
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