Michigan Judge Refuses To Release Teen From Juvenile Detainment For Missed Homework

At a recent hearing, the Michigan judge reportedly told the 15-year-old, "You think you’re ready, I think you're not. I think that you're exactly where you’re supposed to be, you're blooming there. But there's more work to be done."

A Michigan judge has denied the release of a teenager from juvenile detainment over a probation violation that came about because she wasn't doing her online homework. In a report from Michigan Radio, Judge Mary Ellen Brennan denied a motion to release Grace, 15, from Oakland County’s Children’s Village, where the teen has been since May.

"You think you’re ready, I think you’re not," Brennan said to Grace during a hearing on Monday (July 20). "I think that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, you’re blooming there. But there’s more work to be done."

Grace's probation stems from a series of incidents that date back to 2016. Per Michigan Radio:

Both Children’s Protective Services and the police were involved because Grace had a history of repeated attacks on her mother. In 2017, Grace’s mother moved to have her daughter declared "incorrigible," and petitioned for Grace to be committed for mental health treatment and long-term residential care. At one point, the mother called a mobile crisis team and stated that she wanted Grace removed from the home.

This culminated in a November 2019 incident, in which Grace apparently bit her mother and pulled her hair as she attempted to pull out of the driveway. After a neighbor called police, Grace was charged with domestic violence in juvenile court. She pleaded no contest to that charge, but pleaded guilty to a larceny charge for taking another child’s iPad at school.

Grace's case surfaced after it was reported on by ProPublica last week. Brennan said she will consider release for Grace again during a future sentencing set for September.