Title: Barrett v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DOUGLAS BARRETT,  
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
No. 431, 2013  
 
Defendant Below,  
 
§ 
 
 
Appellant,  
 
 
§ 
Court Below–Superior Court 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
of the State of Delaware in and  
 
v. 
 
 
 
 
§ 
for New Castle County  
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
§ 
 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
 
 
§ 
Cr. ID No. 1009013741 
 
Appellee. 
 
 
 
§ 
 
Submitted: May 9, 2014 
Decided: 
July 21, 2014 
 
Before STRINE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND and RIDGELY, Justices.  
 
O R D E R 
 
 
This 21st day of July 2014, upon consideration of the briefs and 
supplemental memoranda of the parties and the Superior Court record, it 
appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
On February 8, 2011, the appellant, Douglas Barrett, pled guilty 
to a drug-related offense and was sentenced to three years at Level V 
suspended for twelve months at Level III.  On June 22, 2011, Barrett was 
found guilty of his second violation of probation (VOP) and was sentenced 
to two years, eleven months and twenty-three days at Level V suspended for 
the same period of time at Level IV CREST, a substance abuse treatment 
2 
 
program, suspended upon successful completion of the program for twelve 
months at Level III. 
(2) 
On March 28, 2013, Barrett filed a motion for correction of 
sentence seeking credit for time served at a Level IV VOP Center.  By order 
dated July 26, 2013, the Superior Court ruled that Barrett was “entitled to 
credit for time served in [the] VOP Center” but was “not entitled to credit 
for time spent in L4 treatment, e.g., CREST, even if CREST shares space at 
[the] VOP Center.”   
(3) 
Barrett filed an appeal from the Superior Court’s denial of 
credit for time served in the CREST program at the VOP Center.  On appeal, 
we are constrained to find that the Superior Court’s denial of credit for time 
served was an abuse of discretion. 
(4) 
A defendant is entitled to Level V credit for time served at a 
Level V facility and at a Level IV VOP Center.1  Credit for time served at a 
Level V facility includes any time spent in a substance abuse treatment 
program while at that facility and should also include any time spent in a 
substance abuse treatment program while at a Level IV VOP Center.2  
                                          
 
1 Anderson v. State, 2006 WL 3931460 (Del. Dec. 5, 2006). 
2 See, e.g., Mifflin v. State, 2014 WL 1092283 (Del. Mar. 18, 2014) (affirming VOP 
sentence giving credit for time spent at a Level V substance abuse treatment program). 
3 
 
NOW, THEREFORE IT IS ORDERED that the Superior Court 
judgment is REVERSED and this case is REMANDED to the Superior 
Court for correction of sentence.   
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Henry duPont Ridgely 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice