That escalated quickly
A US judge reportedly ordered a student to wear a prison uniform and handcuffs after taking a dislike to her “attitude” during a courtroom visit.
The 15-year-old girl was touring the 36th District Court in Detroit as part of a school trip organised by The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit environmental group.
While this was an opportunity to watch justice in action and ask a real judge questions about life on the bench, for one student, it appears it was the perfect time to catch 20 winks.
US news website WXYZ reports that Judge Kenneth King ordered the student to change into a prison uniform and handcuffs after being spotted dozing off.
“You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna put you in back understood,” the judge addressed the girl in the courtroom. He then claims the teen gave him “attitude” for falling asleep.
The move sparked debate over whether it was appropriate, especially considering the girl’s age.
However, Judge King, who reportedly even asked other students in the courtroom if the girl should be taken to juvenile detention, has defended his actions.
“It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me,” the judge told the website. “I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
“I’ll do whatever needs to be done to reach these kids and make sure that they don’t end up in front of me,” the judge added.
Update: 16 August, 11:12am
BBC News reports that Judge King has been “temporarily taken off the bench” to undergo “necessary training”.
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