A 15-year-old girl in Michigan who was sent to a juvenile detention center for not doing her homework was released on probation on Tuesday, according to a report.
Oakland Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan dismissed the case on the recommendation of a caseworker and that the girl, called “Grace” to protect her identity, continues to treat mental health at home.
The girl in suburban Detroit was placed on probation in April on charges of assault and theft, and had been in Oakland County’s Children’s Village since May for violating that trial, which was first reported by ProPublica.
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Brennan said a decision by the Michigan Court of Appeals on July 31 ordering Grace’s release from Children’s Village effectively fell into the hands of the lower court, reports The Detroit News. She said Grace appeared to benefit from the treatment she had received at the facility. No details were given about that treatment.
“The purpose of this court to place her (in Kinder village) was to tackle criminal behavior and improve life at home for her and her mother,” Brennan said.
Under the requirements of her trial, Grace was expected to complete her schoolwork. Grace, who has ADHD and receives special education services, struggled with the transition to online learning and fell behind.
Brennan initially cited a “failure to teach schoolwork and attend school” for her decision to place the teen in juvenile detention.
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But the judge said at a July 20 hearing in Pontiac that Grace was placed in the juvenile facility because she was a threat to her mother and that police were called three times for confrontations between the two.
Brennan had said the girl was a threat to the community based on an accusation of assault involving her mother in November, according to court documents. The girl was also accused of stealing a cell phone from a fellow student at Birmingham Groves High School in Beverly Hills, northwest of Detroit.
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A Grace lawyer, Saima Khalil, accused Brennan of “callous behavior” during the case.
“You denied my client access to mental health treatment that was available through her school … and this court publicly defamed the child during a court hearing,” she had said.
