Bibb County Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin said she didn't know the camera was rolling.
By the time she found out, it was too late. She went viral.
Colvin volunteers with Bibb County Sheriff's Office's "Consider the Consequences" class, a program that bluntly shows youth where their early lives in crime are likely headed.
On March 29, Colvin was speaking to some wayward kids in the program who were brought into her courtroom. Her passionate lecture about the harsh realities of their futures if they didn't change clearly touched many of them.
Her speech was 8 minutes long. It encouraged teens to consider the consequences of their actions.
Their choices, she told them, jail, or "you can be in this body bag," Colvin says in the video as she unfolded a white body bag. "And the only way somebody's going to know you're in here is because of this tag."
At points in the video, you can see a sheriff's deputy handing tissues to some of the children who were moved to tears.
"I did not expect or anticipate that was going to be recorded," Colvin said about the video.
But she's glad it was.
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"For some reason there was a decision to tape it and I have to think it was predestined because I didn't plan it. ... I wanted to speak to their hearts and that's what I did. ... I am shocked that it has gone that far ... I'm continually amazed because it renews what I've always thought - at the end of the day, everybody really cares about everybody else."
The video now has millions of views and is being covered by media outlets as far away as New York.
Colvin took the seat at the Bibb County Courthouse just two years ago, and though she's a newly-appointed judge, she says life and her past employer seasoned her for this moment.
"I was with the U.S. Attorney's office for 14 or 15 years. This is who I was even there, and even with them, believe it or not, I spoke words of positiveness to them," said Colvin.
She's hoping her words not only impacts teens, but moves adults to encourage young people everywhere.
"I just want our children to know that people care about them and you can see the possibility in their future," said Colvin.
WATCH: Bibb County Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin goes in on some wayward teens in her courtroom yesterday as part of the county's "Consider the Consequences" program. Judge Colvin didn't hold back and her harsh reality brought some of these children to tears.If you have a troubled teen or know of a family that does, call the Bibb County Sheriff's Office Outreach at 478-803-2701 about this free, monthly program.(This video was provided courtesy of the Bibb County Sheriff's Office)
Posted by 13 WMAZ on Thursday, March 31, 2016
