Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025
Of the 472 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the District of Arizona in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 316 (67%) received a prison term and 154 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 11 months, and 467 pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 › Administration of Justice Offense: District of Arizona
In brief: Of the 472 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the District of Arizona in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 316 (67%) received a prison term and 154 (33%) received probation only. The median prison term was 11 months, and 467 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 472 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Probation Only for 33% of This Group
The 154 people (33%) who received probation only had no prison or other confinement. For all 94 federal districts, 72% of 6,448 people sentenced for this offense type were sent to prison. In Arizona, 67% were.
The median prison term for the 316 people sent to prison was 11 months. A quarter received 15 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. For all districts, the median was 12 months. For all offenses in this district, it was 9 months.
Offenses in This Category
"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for crimes tied to law enforcement and court proceedings. It is based on the primary guideline in each case.
The most common was §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), for 244 people. Next was §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers) for 152. Smaller groups used §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) for 15 and §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) for 14. These cases were less than 1% of the 47,716 people sentenced in the district.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 472 people, 467 (99%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% did not.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 11 months. After a trial, it was 15.5 months, based on 4 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. With so few trial cases, the figure should be read with care.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The range was recorded for 463 people. Of those, 51% (237) were within it, 31% (145) were below it at the government's request, and 12% (57) were below it without a request. Another 5% (24) were above it.
Across all districts, 48% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 35% were. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 471 people with that information recorded (0%).
Supervised Release and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 300 people (64%), with a median term of 18 months. A fine was ordered for 31 (7%), and restitution for 35 (7%).
In criminal history, 70% were in the lowest category I and 3% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Year-by-Year View and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 238 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 234. Yearly counts ranged from 24 in fiscal year 2021 to 69 in fiscal year 2018. Yearly medians ranged from 7.3 months to 13 months.
The records cannot show why yearly numbers differ. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, and the terms are those imposed. Davis-Monthan AFB, Fort Huachuca, Luke AFB, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 45 | 11.5 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 63 | 10 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 69 | 11 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 61 | 13 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 49 | 10.6 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 24 | 9.1 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 46 | 8 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 39 | 7.3 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 43 | 13 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 33 | 12 months | 100% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Arizona (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arizona") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (472). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.