Case Title: Briscoe v. State

Citation: 

Docket Number: 316, 2010

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2010-11-29T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
SHAWN T. BRISCOE, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 316, 2010  
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for New Castle County 
§  Cr. ID 9805010749 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: September 24, 2010 
 
 
 
 
  Decided: November 29, 2010 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, JACOBS, and RIDGELY, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
This 29th day of November 2010, upon consideration of the parties’ briefs 
and the record on appeal, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant, Shawn Briscoe, filed this appeal from the Superior 
Court’s order correcting his sentence for a violation of probation.  Briscoe argues 
that it was error for the Superior Court to increase his sentence, sua sponte, without 
giving Briscoe notice and an opportunity to be heard in court.  We find no merit to 
Briscoe’s claims.  Accordingly, we affirm the Superior Court’s judgment. 
(2) 
The record reflects that Briscoe pled guilty in February 2000 to one 
count each of third degree unlawful sexual intercourse and possession of a deadly 
weapon during the commission of a felony.  The Superior Court sentenced Briscoe 
 
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immediately, effective December 28, 1999 and with credit for time previously 
served, to a total period of thirteen years at Level V incarceration, to be suspended 
after serving seven years for decreasing levels of supervision.  In June 2009, his 
probation officer filed an administrative warrant alleging Briscoe had violated his 
probation.  A contested hearing was held and the Superior Court sentenced Briscoe 
for violating probation on July 31, 2009. 
(3) 
The Superior Court’s July 2009 order sentenced Briscoe to five years 
at Level V incarceration for violating probation.  The order further provided, 
“Upon successful completion at supervision level 5, balance of sentence is 
suspended for 2 years(s) supervision level 3.”   Briscoe did not appeal.  In April 
2010, the Superior Court amended its July 2009 sentencing order.  The Superior 
Court order again sentenced Briscoe to serve five years at Level V incarceration, 
but amended the order to read, “Upon successful completion at supervision level 5 
FAMILY PROBLEMS, balance of sentence is suspended for 2 year(s) 
supervision level 3.”  Briscoe appealed the amended sentencing order arguing that 
the Superior Court unfairly increased his sentence without giving him notice and 
an opportunity to be heard.  We disagree. 
(4) 
The Superior Court’s July 2009 sentencing order was ambiguous on 
its face.  The order provided that the balance of Briscoe’s sentence could be 
suspended for two years at Level III probation upon his “successful completion at 
supervision level [V].”  By these terms, the sentencing order in fact required that 
 
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Briscoe complete all five years of his sentence in a Level V setting.  The April 
2010 amended order corrected this ambiguity by allowing Briscoe to have the 
balance of his Level V sentence suspended upon his successful completion of the 
Family Problems program.  The amendment did not increase the overall length of 
Briscoe’s sentence, as he claims.  In fact, the amendment allows Briscoe to 
significantly reduce the length of time he serves in prison if he successfully 
completes the Family Problems program.  The Superior Court’s amended sentence 
merely corrected a clerical error contained in the July 2009 sentence.1  Thus, 
Briscoe was not entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard before the 
Superior Court corrected its sentencing order.2 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Henry duPont Ridgely 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
                                                 
1 Del. Super. Crim. R. 36 (2010). 
2 Price v. State, 2009 WL 436184 (Del. Feb. 23, 2009).