JUDGE KENNETH KING LOCKS UP 15 YEAR OLD ON A FIELD TRIP TO HIS COURTROOM #thatpart
11A Detroit judge on Tuesday forced a local teen visiting court on a field trip to don a jail uniform and handcuffs before subjecting her to the threat of jail time during an impromptu hearing before her peers and those watching the judge's courtroom online.
Her offense — sleeping in his courtroom and her "attitude."
36th District Judge Kenneth King threatened the 16-year-old with jail for "contempt of court," despite her sleeping in between the hearings, according to video on the court's YouTube channel. He repeatedly suggested she might need to spend some time behind bars, at one point describing graphic scenes and violence that could happen if she went to juvenile detention.
She was ultimately allowed to go home, but not before King asked her peers by a show of hands to decide whether she should go to jail.
Update:Mom explains reason behind why teen fell asleep in Detroit courtroom
36th District Court Judge Kenneth King, pictured here in 2015, defended his decision this week to order a 16-year-old girl into custody, including jail clothes and handcuffs, because she fell asleep several times while he spoke with her field trip.
Now, the girl says she's traumatized.
The leader of the nonprofit that organized the outing for the students criticized King for his conduct.
Update:Detroit judge who had teen handcuffed for sleeping temporarily removed from docket
"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," said Marissa Ebersole Wood, chairperson of The Greening of Detroit, in a statement provided by a public relations specialist.
"We have spoken to the student and her parents and the young lady was traumatized by the judge’s unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding. “
While King defended his actions, he also told the Free Press the entire encounter has been blown out of proportion and is traumatizing for him as well.
"I wasn't trying to punish the young lady. What I was trying to do was, I was trying to serve as a deterrence," King said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.
"I wanted to instill in this kid that this is not a joke, this is a very serious situation."
Initially, King told the Free Press he was advised not to speak in the event of any forthcoming litigation. But he went on to affirm he thought he acted appropriately and sought to help the teen.
He said he did not plan to actually order the teen to jail. However, he told WXYZ Channel 7 he had the right to do so.
"This is me still trying to get through to her: come on girl," King told the Free Press, adding he's reached out to her family with an offer to mentor the girl.
He said he hasn't heard back.
Melanie Barbaza, an assistant to 36th District Chief Judge William C. McConico, said McConico declined to comment. She referred the Free Press to King's office.
Justin Simard is an assistant professor of law and the director of the Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession at Michigan State University. Noting Michigan's Code of Judicial Conduct outlines how judges need to behave, he said it does not appear King lived up to this standard of conduct.
"I have no reason to doubt his statement that he was trying to help the girl, but I do not think his approach reflected well on the judiciary," Simard said in an emailed statement.
"Judges are required not only to 'avoid impropriety' but also even 'the appearance of impropriety' in their actions. This is a very high standard that does not seem to have been met in this case."
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Both King's decision to take the girl into custody and his de facto hearing were caught on camera, published to YouTube. Shortly after publication of this story, the video appears to have been removed from the YouTube channel.
In between hearings, King addressed the gathering of teens and their chaperones. He did so without wearing his robe, and not from the bench. The video recording shows a separate student sitting in King's chair.
After speaking for about 45 minutes, King walked over to the young woman and screamed, "wake up!" Then he asked if he was boring her, before suggesting "there's one in every group."
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