In Night Court: Plea Bargains and Coffee
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Late Thursday night, while many New Yorkers in fancy dress were celebrating the new year at bright spots around the city, Judge Joel M. Goldberg took his black polyester robe and drove to Manhattan Criminal Court, where he had a job to do. Late Thursday night, while many New Yorkers in fancy dress were celebrating the new year at bright spots around the city, Judge Joel M. Goldberg took his black polyester robe and drove to Manhattan Criminal Court, where he had a job to do. Equipped with a thermos of strong coffee and a stamp with his name on it, Judge Goldberg took the bench to preside over what is possibly the most undesirable court session of the year - 1 A.M. to 9 A.M. on New Year’s Day. As the night went on, he would arraign about 50 defendants, who were appearing in court for the first time since their arrests. Accused of prostitution and drug possession, minor assaults and petty larceny, the defendants were spending New Year’s Eve in a holding pen behind the courtroom, waiting to go before the judge. At the same time, Judge Michael A. Gary was wrapping up the earlier shift, which had started at 5 P.M. and become almost festive, for night court, as midnight approached. Working the two night shifts were a mix of lawyers with low seniority and court officers and clerks, some seeking overtime pay, and others who actually prefer working nights. This is the first year there has been an early-morning ”lobster” shift on New Year’s; in the past the court has been closed. But there is such a backlog of cases in Manhattan that this time, officials decided to keep it open. Judge Goldberg, 42 years old, who was sworn in six months ago, has been working in Queens Criminal Court and is transferring to Brooklyn next week. Thursday night was the first time he had presided in Manhattan. He said that coming to Manhattan night court had a special meaning for him. ”I was driving here and it was past midnight,” he said, ”and I drove past City Hall and the building where I was sworn in.” ”What a way to ring in the New Year. I was thrilled,” he said. Ready to Leave, Eager to Party At the earlier shift the court had been eager to adjourn. Judge Gary rescinded the employees’ dinner break, scheduled for mid-evening, and let them leave at 11:30 so they could go to New Year’s parties if they wanted. Before everyone left, there was much activity. In a holding pen next to the courtroom, behind a door marked with a homemade sign saying ”No firearms beyond this point!” the defendants waited for their few minutes in court. Once in a while, noises of yelling and banging and scuffling exuded through the wall, then subsided. At the same time, small crowds of lawyers, court officers, clerks and observers milled about the courtroom, rifling through papers, chatting, sniffling and yawning. Telephones rang; buzzers went off; doors slammed. Officials said the activity was normal for night court, though Thursday was a little more relaxed because of the holiday. How to Amaze Tourists With Arrest Statistics The defendants - accused of misdemeanors such as theft and drug possession - were typical of the 130,000 people arrested in Manhattan each year. It is the sheer volume of cases in the system at any moment that makes it necessary to have a lobster shift in Manhattan, the only borough to do so. Still, for most defendants, there is a lag time of 36 to 48 hours between arrest and arraignment. Joseph M. Oliva, a court officer on the 5 P.M. shift, said tourists who come to night court are often amazed by how many arrests are processed in Manhattan each year. ”We get tour groups from East Cupcake, Iowa, towns with populations of 10,000,” Mr. Oliva said, ”and I’ll say to them, ‘Can you imagine everyone in your town getting arrested 13 times over?’ ” ”If you’re from New York, the number 130,000 doesn’t make a quiver in your boots,” he said. Arraignment Basics: A 10-Minute Average Most of the arraignments go like this: The defendant, usually represented by a legal-aid lawyer or a state-appointed lawyer, appears before the judge and hears the charges against him. More : query.nytimes.com |