By Katherine Olson

A woman who was arrested for shoplifting and sentenced to a day of community service by the Midtown Community Court in 1998 will finally serve out her original sentence or face prison time.

It was 11 years ago that Sharon A. Brown first pled guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct—a violation, not a crime—in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence. She was then ordered to perform one day of community service, which she never served.

After being issued a bench warrant, Brown was arraigned in Midtown Community Court on Nov. 18. The Court addresses quality-of-life offenses including graffiti, vandalism and prostitution by issuing same-day community service sentences that directly improve the local environment, such as park and graffiti cleanup, and street sweeping.

In response to Judge Richard Weinberg’s question, “Where [has the defendant] been for the last 11 years?” Brown stated that she failed to complete her sanction because she feared deportation to her birthplace in the Caribbean. According to her Legal Aid attorney, Russell S. Novack, “Sharon’s fears were unfounded.” Deportation is not an option in misdemeanor cases such as hers.

“I don’t want to put you in jail,” Judge Weinberg said during the arraignment. “Just do what you have to do.” Brown nodded in response. Judge Weinberg ordered her to complete the original sentence, stating that she would receive a 15-day jail term if she failed to do so.

Brown’s case is an unusual one. While the average arrest-to-arraignment time for cases processed at the New York City Criminal Court is 30 hours, the Midtown Community Court’s turnaround time averages just 18 hours, and offenders usually begin community service sentences on the same day as their arraignment.

Established in 1993, Midtown Community Court is the first community court in the U.S. It hears misdemeanor and summons cases of low-level offenses and issues community service sentences as an alternative to prison time. Says court director Courtney Bryan, “We try to craft tailored groups for specific problems,” such as a three-day introduction to drug rehab, a job-readiness course and a graffiti cleanup program, and aim to provide “visible, meaningful” justice.