Judge Joe Brown Describes 5-Day Stint in Jail

It's "like being in slave quarters," the TV legend said.

ByABC News
September 1, 2015, 2:45 PM

— -- After a five-day stint, Judge Joe Brown is out of jail in Tennessee today and standing by the 2014 incident that resulted in his recent stay behind bars.

Brown, 68, surrendered himself to Memphis police last Thursday, Shelby County Sheriff's Office told ABC News at the time.

The contempt of court charge comes from a March 2014 incident after Brown attempted to help a woman in her child support case. He ignored the judge's warning to quiet down after getting loud with court employees.

"When I insisted that the woman's charges be dismissed. He started talking about, I'm not an attorney so-and-so. ... I said, 'You know, it's wrong. ... You're better than this,'" Brown told ABC News last year, adding he should only have been fined.

Today, he tells People magazine, "A citizen was being gravely mistreated ... I had an opportunity to stand up for her and I took it."

After leaving jail on Tuesday, Brown, 68, said being locked up was "like being in slave quarters ... Jail's jail. It's boring, it's dirty. But I survived. I'm breathing free air."

In fact, this incident has made Brown think about picking up the judge's gavel again. His show aired from 1998 to 2013.

People adds that he icon is working on "True Verdict with Judge Joe Brown," and said, "You need to help folks. I'm giving back and I'm encouraging others to do so too. Do the right thing. Do what you ought to do. We can all help each other."