Detroit judge suspended after making teen wear handcuffs for sleeping in his court during educational visit
Judge Kenneth King threatened 15-year-old Eva Goodman with time in juvenile detention over her falling asleep during an organised visit to 36th District Court.
A Detroit judge who ordered a sleepy teenager be put into jail clothes and handcuffs on an educational trip to his court has been suspended.
Judge Kenneth King saw 15-year-old Eva Goodman falling asleep in his courtroom on Tuesday while on a field trip organised by The Greening of Detroit – a Michigan-based environmental non-profit group.
A video of the incident – seen by local station WXYZ-TV – shows that after noticing the tired teenager, he said: “You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m gonna’ put you in [the] back (the dock), understood?”
He then had Eva change into jail clothes and wear handcuffs, and threatened her with time in juvenile detention before releasing her.
William McConico, the chief judge at 36th District Court, said on Thursday Mr King had been suspended and that he would undergo “necessary training to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident”.
He added the court “remains deeply committed to providing access to justice in an environment free from intimidation or disrespect,” and said Mr King’s actions “do not reflect this commitment”.
The teenager’s mother, Latoreya Till, told the Detroit Free Press: “My daughter is hurt. She is feeling scared.”
She added the judge was a “big bully” for his courtroom behaviour, and said her daughter was tired because the family does not have a permanent residence.
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Mr King defended his actions on Wednesday and told WXYZ-TV: “It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me.
“I wanted to get through to her, show how serious this is and how you are to conduct yourself inside of a courtroom.”
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Marissa Ebersole Wood, chairperson of The Greening of Detroit, added: “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.”
