Joe Brown -- TV Judge in Jail

Judge Joe Brown -- who made a name for himself during his run on syndicated TV -- is now watching the boob tube from jail.

We've learned Judge Joe is currently in custody after being sentenced to 5 days for contempt of court.

Joe was acting as a lawyer in March 2014 -- representing someone in a child support case. When he showed up in court and the clerk informed him they had no record of the case, he lost it, screaming Al Pacino style.

The 5 day sentence was delayed for nearly a year-and-a-half, but today, Joe's in jail.