Westport Woman Sentenced to 'Shock Probation'

A Westport woman on charges of grand larceny, unlicensed practice of a profession, and a scheme to defraud, in connection with activities at her Bedford Hills, N.Y., physical therapy practice, to “shock probation,” a type of “boot camp” jail sentence where the period of incarceration is shortened and rehabilitation accelerated.

Lisa Bruno, 38, of Westport, who owned Care Point Services, a firm contracted by Westchester County to provide physical therapy services, reportedly used unlicensed occupational and physical therapists and double billed the county for services performed, in essence .

In addition to her accelerated sentence, Bruno has been ordered to pay back the money she is accused of stealing between July 2005 and February 2009, according to a report in the Bedford-Katonah Patch. Specifically Bruno must pay $120,000 in restitution over the next five years, as per a court order, and an additional $429,000, according to the report.

"Shock probation" reportedly provides defendants with an opportunity to receive probation after spending a short period of time in a jail or prison. The theory is that by immersing a defendant in the penal system for a short period of time, they can be "shocked" into a non-criminal lifestyle. Like other forms of probation, it is considered a privilege rather than an entitlement, and is ordered only at the discretion of the sentencing judge.