Judge of the Day, State Judges

Judge Outraged After Defendant Appears In Court Without Pants

An exasperated judge wants to know what the hell is going on in the criminal justice system.

By  
on

handcuffs justice gavelHere at Above the Law, we often lament the way that women in the legal profession are treated, but it appears that we’ve failed to address the way that women on the other side of the criminal justice system are treated. The nation has gotten a taste of what it’s like for female prisoners through fictionalized programming like Orange Is the New Black, but late last week, we were able to see what may be a typical prison experience through the eyes of a female defendant. This particular defendant was brought to court for a hearing before Judge Amber Wolf in Louisville, Kentucky, and the exchange that followed — one that depicted Judge Wolf’s disappointment with the justice system — was caught on camera.

“Excuse me? This is outrageous. Is this for real?” were the first words that came out of Judge Wolf’s mouth when she learned that the defendant before her had been jailed for days without pants, without a shower, and without feminine hygiene products.

The entire exchange can be seen in this video, where at one point Judge Wolf, in apparent exasperation with the situation at hand, asks, “What. The hell. Is going on?”

https://youtu.be/FUl90mAb9vA

It seems the female defendant was wearing shorts so short that her t-shirt covered them. Clearly upset, Judge Wolf placed a call to Metro Corrections Director Mark Bolton in the middle of the hearing, wondering “why there is a female defendant standing in front of me with no pants on.” Here’s more information from WDRB-TV:

Wolf asked court staff to find something to cover the woman with – “anything, I don’t care what it is.” …

[D]uring the hearing, Metro Corrections Deputy Director Dwayne Clark brought clothing to the woman and told Wolf that she should have been given a jumpsuit.

“Dressed like she was,” Clark said, “she should have been changed into a jumpsuit. I gotta look into why she wasn’t.”

After the hearing concluded, Steve Durham, a spokesperson for the jail, said the defendant hadn’t been in custody long enough to receive a jumpsuit: “This is pretty standard that when individuals are arrested, they remain in the clothing that they’ve been arrested in. Especially for the first 72 hours.”

Sponsored

The defendant was released with a $100 fine, as well as an apology from Judge Wolf, who said, “This is not normal,” I’ve never seen it happen. … This is completely inhumane and unacceptable. I’m sorry you had to go through this.”

Louisville judge furious at Metro Corrections over inappropriately dressed inmate [WDRB-TV]
Judge Sees Red After Bare Legged Prisoner Brought to Court [Associated Press]

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Sponsored

Topics

, , , , , , , ,