Detroit District Court Judge Kenneth King has been temporarily removed from his duties after an incident where he forced a 15-year-old girl to wear handcuffs and a jail uniform because she appeared to fall asleep during a courtroom field trip.
The girl, Eva Goodman, was visiting the 36th District Court as part of a trip organized by the environmental charity The Greening, which also conducts activities like kayaking and bird-watching.
Judge King reportedly took issue with Goodman’s “attitude” and wanted to use the incident as a lesson on courtroom conduct.
Chief Judge William McConico of the 36th District Court stated that a “swift and thorough internal investigation” led to King being temporarily removed from his cases to undergo “necessary training.”
McConico added, “We sincerely hope that this incident does not undermine our longstanding relationships with local schools.”
Goodman’s mother, Latoreya Hill, criticized the judge’s actions, asking, “Would you want someone to treat your child like that? To belittle her in front of the whole world and her friends, to make her feel even worse about her situation.”
Video footage from the courtroom shows Judge King admonishing Goodman and asking other visitors to vote on whether she should be sent to juvenile detention before deciding to have her handcuffed and dressed in a jail outfit.
King defended his actions, stating, “It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” and that he wanted to “show how serious this is.”
Judge Aliyah Sabree, the court’s No. 2 leader, commented that King’s actions did “not reflect the standards” of the court and assured that the matter would be addressed “with the utmost diligence.”
Judge King insisted he was trying to create a “Scared Straight” experience for Goodman, saying, “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.”
Source-BBC
