Shaun KingVerified account

Shaun — These petit larceny arrests & prosecutions for stealing basic necessities, food, & beverages are common. 6 months is a far longer offer than in Brooklyn. But even a night in jail is a costly injustice. If bodega is closed, it’s charged as burglary. Then longer offers.

The best people to give you information is the original poster. I'll put you in touch. On the range of plea offers/bail requests for these types of cases generally, @CourtWatchNYC. Again, I'll give you a contact.

There was a case in Manhattan where the DA requested $15,000 bail for someone charged with stealing a sandwich from Duane Reade, who actually ate the sandwich in the store. The judge set $5,000.

In Brooklyn, when I was working night court, the prosecutor was willing to give time served on a petit larceny case where a client stole an ice cream cone. The judge insisted on 30 days jail, then was going to set $1,000 bail.

My colleague held the case over until the morning, but the judge notated the file so the next judge would feel uncomfortable undercutting that plea. But that judge did agree to release him on his own recognizance. Judge who insisted on 30 day plea: Perlmutter.

I’ve seen Perlmutter in action a few times on Courtwatch shifts. He’s consistently more harsh than other judges I have seen in Brooklyn.

He was a criminal defense attorney before he was a judge, which you would think would be a positive thing, but he represented DWI clients, so that's just a whole other world. He really doesn't seem to "get" it.

That's also the part he regularly sits in and it's a very particularized part, with a very specific less representative client. Many misdemeanor judges don't work arraignment shifts often enough to know what what appropriate offers and bail amounts are.