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SJC

- 11676

COMMONWEALTH v s

. JOSEPH S . RIDGE

.

March 2 , 2015.

Practice, Criminal , Sentence.

In 2007, Joseph S. Ridge pleaded guilty to certain offenses in the Superior Court in Norfolk County and was sentenced to approximately four years in the State prison. At that time, he
received c redit for time he spent in custody awaiting trial both on that charge and on other charges then pending against him in Plymouth County. In 2008, Ridge pleaded guilty to a charge of unarmed robbery in the Superior Court in Plymouth County

. Pursuant to an agreed

- upon recommendation that was adopted by the sentencing judge, he was sentenced to a term of from fourteen to fifteen years in the State prison , concurrent with the sentence in the Norfolk County case , which he was then serving

. At that time, Ridge neither requested nor received credit for his pretrial detention. In 2013, Ridge moved pro se
to correct the mittimus as to the Plymouth County case
, requesting credit for time he was detained awaiting trial. A judge of the Superior Court denied the motion, as well as a substitute motion filed subsequently by appointed counsel, on the ground that the time in question had already been credited against Ridge's sentence in the Norfolk County case, that Ridge
had benefited f rom the concurrent sentences, and that fundamental fairness did not compel a different result

. We allowed Ridge's application for direct appellate review and affirm the motion judge's orders.

"Pursuant to G. L. c. 279, § 33A, '[c]riminal defendants

have a right to have their sentences reduced by the amount of time they spend in custody awaiting trial, unless in imposing the sentence, the judge has already deducted such time or takenit into consideration in determining the sentence.'" Williams

v. Superi ntendent, Massachusetts Trea tment Ct r

. , 463 Mass. 627,
6 3 0

- 631 (2012), quoting Commonwealth v. Milton , 427 Mass. 18,
23

- 24 (1998). Fairness is the basic touchstone, and is the appropriate measure in determining whether and to what extent
credit for time s pent in custody shall be given. Chalifoux v. Commissioner of Correction , 375 Mass. 424, 427 (1978). While Ridge acknowledges, as he must, that the time he spent in pretrial custody was credited to his Norfolk County sentence, he argues that this credit w as illusory, as he was subsequently sentenced to a longer concurrent term in the Plymouth County

case. In other words, he will not be released any earlier as a
result of this credit. He therefore argues that fairness require s that the credit be applied t o the Plymouth County sentence. We disagree. Where, as here, the time previously
credited to the defendant is " wholly inclusive of the period the
defendant claims as credit on " a later

- imposed sentence, " there is no special consideration of fairness that supports the credit

that the defendant seeks. " Commonwealth v. Barton , 74 Mass. App. Ct. 912, 915 (2009). See also Commonwealth v. Blaikie , 21 Mass. App. Ct. 956, 957 (1986) (sentencing judge in Suffolk County properly refused to give credit for time pr eviously credited against sentences imposed in Middlesex County). To be sure, had the defendant requested credit for his pretrial detention at the time of the Plymouth County sentencing, the sentencing judge plainly would have had the power to accede to

o r to deny the request. As noted earlier, no such request was

made. Moreover , Ridge agreed to the Plymouth County sentence
and , without explaining the delay, did not seek any credit against it for nearly five years . In these circumstances , the
motion judge was not obligated to grant his request. Ridge received what he bargained for, and fundamental fairness does not require more.

The orders denying the defendant's motions to correct the
mittimus are affirmed.

So ordered

.

Katherine C. Riley for the defendant.
Laurie Y e shulas , Assistant District Attorney, for the

Commonwealth.