Judge Kenneth King, of the 36th District Court in Detroit, ordered the 16-year-old girl to change into a jail uniform and sit handcuffed in the dock as punishment, 7 News Detroit reports.

He later said: “It wasn’t so much, in fact, that she had fallen asleep because I have attorneys that fall asleep sometimes, so that’s not too big of a deal. It was her whole attitude and her whole disposition that disturbed me.”

The girl was visiting the courtroom with classmates as part of a programme run by an environmental charity, The Greening of Detroit.

According to reports, the judge organised an ad hoc mock trial for the girl, ordering a public defender to stay behind after the conclusion of his case to act as the girl’s representative.

The judge also polled the girl’s classmates on whether or not she should be sent to a children’s prison – before eventually letting her go.

A spokesperson for The Greening of Detroit said the judge’s methods were “unacceptable”.