Detroit judge orders teen to put on jail clothes, handcuffs during field trip

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 16-year-old girl on a field trip to the 36th District Court in Detroit was ordered by a judge to wear handcuffs and a jail uniform as a consequence of falling asleep in his courtroom and allegedly giving him an attitude.

The incident was captured on video by the court, via Zoom.

"You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m putting you in the back, understood?" Judge Kenneth King told the teenage girl. 

The teen was on a field trip with the environmental non-profit Greening of Detroit on Tuesday. King expressed his displeasure with her behavior after she fell asleep twice in the courtroom.

"Why are you being disrespectful to this court?" King said. "You sleep at home, in your bed – not in court. And quite frankly, I don’t like your attitude."

When the judge asked the 16-year-old, "what is your problem?" She responded with, "I apologize, I’m just tired."

Sources close to the situation told FOX 2 that at this point, the field trip turned into a "Scared Straight!" simulation to send a message.

"I’m thinking maybe she needs to go to the juvenile detention facility. You do understand we have a jail for kids?" King told the teen. 

King reportedly said he never had intentions of sending the girl anywhere, but went on to describe what it is like at the Detroit Detention Facility to all the teens on the trip. 

"Not a very pleasant place to be in," the judge said. "You guys enjoy your freedom, don’t you?" 

"Yes," the teens responded.

Then, an actual attorney in the courtroom stepped in as if they were representing the 16-year-old girl.

"She’s nervous, doesn’t do well with public speaking. Didn’t want to necessarily speak today, and is just tired, that’s all," the attorney told King.

The non-profit organization who took the children on the field trip, disapproved of how King handled the incident. 

"It is unfortunate that he chose to make an example of a 16-year-old girl in front of her peers," Greening of Detroit said in a statement. "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. We have spoken to the student and her parents and the young lady was traumatized by the judge’s unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding."

King reportedly reached out to the teen's parents, offering mentorship going forward. But as of Wednesday, King and others will not be talking about the incident for legal reasons.