Detroit judge orders sleepy teenage girl on field trip to be handcuffed, threatens jail

A sleepy teenage girl was handcuffed, put in a jail uniform and threatened with incarceration during a field trip to a Detroit judge's courtroom, leaving her "traumatized."

The 16-year-old girl and her classmates went to the 36th District Court on Tuesday to learn about the legal system, but instead, she and her parents say Judge Kenneth King rendered "unnecessary disciplinary treatment and scolding." King, who has been a judge in the court since 2006, did an impromptu hearing for the girl because of her "attitude" and constant sleeping on the trip.

"You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time I'm going to put you in the back," King said. "I am not to be played with."

The hearing, which was viewable on the court's YouTube channel, involved King suggesting that the girl might need to be behind bars for a little, with him at one point describing the violence that occurs in juvenile detention facilities. King eventually allowed the girl to go home, but he did ask her classmates by a show of hands to decide whether she should spend some time in jail.

The Detroit nonprofit that hosted the field trip criticized King's conduct, saying that "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," Marissa Ebersole Wood, chairperson of The Greening of Detroit, said in a statement. "We have spoken to the student and her parents and the young lady was traumatized. “

King wanted discipline to 'serve as a deterrence'

Although King's actions appeared harsh, the judge told the Detroit Free Press − part of the USA TODAY Network − that he was only "trying to serve as a deterrence."

"I wasn't trying to punish the young lady," King said, adding that he was also traumatized by the hearing. "I wanted to instill in this kid that this is not a joke, this is a very serious situation."

King also said he reached out to the girl's family and offered to mentor her, but as of Wednesday, he has not heard back.

"This is me still trying to get through to her: Come on, girl," King told the Free Press.

'He should be removed from the bench'

King's behavior has led to many on social media condemning the situation, with some suggesting he be removed from the bench.

"The kid was on a freaking field trip, not a criminal in his court," one user posted on X.

Another questioned: "Why are kids going to field trips to a court? Whatever happened to the science museum? School-to-prison pipeline practices are more blatant than ever."

Another X user, Daniel Federspiel, called King "disgusting" and a "bully" who likes to "strike fear in young children."

Here are some other social media reactions: