In a shocking incident that has sparked outrage and disbelief, Detroit judge Kenneth King recently made headlines for his controversial actions towards a teenage girl on a school field trip. The incident occurred when the girl, who has not been identified, was caught sleeping during a court hearing at the 36th District Court in Detroit.
According to reports, Judge King was presiding over a case when he noticed the young girl dozing off in the audience. Instead of simply waking her up or asking her to pay attention, Judge King took a drastic and unsettling approach. He ordered the girl to be handcuffed and threatened her with jail time if she did not comply with his orders.
The 16-year-old girl and her classmates went to the 36th District Court on Tuesday to learn about the legal system, but instead, she and her parents say Judge Kenneth King rendered “unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding.” King, who has been a judge in the court since 2006, did an impromptu hearing for the girl because of her “attitude” and constant sleeping on the trip.
“You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time I’m going to put you in the back,” King said. “I am not to be played with.”
The hearing, which was viewable on the court’s YouTube channel, involved King suggesting that the girl might need to be behind bars for a little, with him at one point describing the violence that occurs in juvenile detention facilities. King eventually allowed the girl to go home, but he did ask her classmates by a show of hands to decide whether she should spend some time in jail.
The Detroit nonprofit that hosted the field trip criticized King’s conduct, saying that “although the judge was trying to teach a lesson of respect, his methods were unacceptable.”
“The group of students should have been simply asked to leave the courtroom if he thought they were disrespectful,” Marissa Ebersole Wood, chairperson of The Greening of Detroit, said in a statement. “We have spoken to the student and her parents and the young lady was traumatized. “
Although King’s actions appeared harsh, the judge told the Detroit Free Press − part of the USA TODAY Network − that he was only “trying to serve as a deterrence.”
“I wasn’t trying to punish the young lady,” King said, adding that he was also traumatized by the hearing. “I wanted to instill in this kid that this is not a joke, this is a very serious situation.”
King also said he reached out to the girl’s family and offered to mentor her, but as of Wednesday, he has not heard back.
“This is me still trying to get through to her: Come on, girl,” King told the Free Press.
It is imperative that those in positions of authority approach situations like these with thoughtfulness and compassion, rather than resorting to harsh and unnecessary measures. Judge Kenneth King could have resorted to a friendly way of dealing with the issue rather than putting handcuffs on the teenager.
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