A Detroit judge has been temporarily suspended from his duties after facing criticism for handcuffing a young girl and dressing her in a prison uniform when she fell asleep during a field trip to his courtroom, an incident that has sparked debate about appropriate behavior and disciplinary action in educational institutions.

Chief Judge William McConico announced that 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King has been temporarily relieved of his duties at the courthouse and that an internal investigation into the incident is underway.

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As we previously reported, the child’s mother spoke out about the situation and explained why her daughter was tired. As you’ll recall, Judge King explained that the measure was meant to teach a lesson in decency and respect, but Hill believes the judge didn’t fully understand the situation. “Would you want someone to treat your child like that? Would you even treat your child like that?” asked the child’s mother, Latoreya Hill, fighting back tears.

Judge King noticed Eva Goodman nodding off during the drive and decided to handcuff Goodman and dress her in a prison uniform. “I think maybe she should go to the youth correctional facility,” Judge King said in court. “Why are you disrespecting this court? You sleep in bed at home, not in court.” Hill explained that Goodman was struggling to stay awake because the family currently has no permanent home and she is a single mother trying to make ends meet. “The fact that he talked about ‘go home and lay in your bed,’ how do you know my baby has a home, how do you know my baby has a bed, her own bed to sleep in, she doesn’t have that right now, so she was tired,” Hill said.

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Judge King spoke about the situation on Tuesday and stands by his decision. “Do I have any reservations? Do I think I was ruthless in my decision? No, I don’t, because I will do whatever needs to be done to reach these children and make sure they don’t end up in front of me,” Judge King said. “This was my own version of fear and terror.”

Hill explained that her daughter did not need to be taught any lessons as she already faced great challenges at home and was simply trying to cope with life’s difficulties.