15-Year-Old Michigan Teenager Arrested After Failing to Do Her Homework

A judge in Michigan refused to release a teenage girl from a juvenile detention center after she failed to do her online homework in mid-May. The judge said the 15-year-old Black girl was a threat to the community.

Oakland County Judge Mary Ellen Brennan announced her decision on Monday in a case that has stoked outrage among politicians and activists. Many claim it shows systematic racism and the criminalization of Black youths.

According to the judge, the girl still needed to take the residential treatment program at the detention center. She also claimed the teenager is not yet ready to be with her mother. The next hearing is scheduled for September, NBC News reports.

How did she end up in juvenile detention?

The 15-year-old, identified only as Grace, had previously gotten into trouble for fighting with her mother and stealing. She was charged with assault and theft. During an April 21 hearing, the young girl was placed on probation.

She was incarcerated in May after the judge claimed she violated her probation after she failed to complete and submit her online homework, AJC reported.

Judge Brennan deemed her a threat to the community. She sentenced the Black youth to the Children's Village juvenile detention center on May 15 despite growing concerns the COVID-19 pandemic may spread fast in crowded environments. She had been locked up since.

In Brennan's ruling, she said grace was guilty of failing to get up for school and failing to fulfill the expectation on school performance.

During the sentencing, caseworkers, the prosecutor, and Grace's court-appointed attorney agreed she needed mental health and anger management treatment. They asked to put her on probation because she did not commit new offenses. However, she was led out of the courtroom wearing handcuffs.

The sentence was made as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged juvenile judges to send children home due to the threat of the pandemic.

What do attorneys and advocates say?

The confidentiality of juvenile court cases make it impossible to fully determine Grace's situation. However, attorneys and advocates say they had never heard of other cases where the child is sentenced to juvenile detention for failing to meet academic requirements after schools closed due to the pandemic.

The advocates say the decision may be violating recommendations that urged the government to prioritize children's health and safety amid the health crisis. Experts and Grace's mother also said the teenager's case reflects systematic racial bias, as reported by ProPublica Illinois.

Grace's mother also said the case "does not make sense." Her statement came after officers at the detention center refused to let her see Grace.

She attempted to visit her daughter in mid-June. But the officials sent her away with a bag full of toiletries and clothes. According to the officers who are working in the facility, the items violated the rules.

It is unclear whether there are other children held at the juvenile detention center that is facing a similar situation as Grace.

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