Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025
The District of Connecticut sentenced 20 people for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as the median for this offense type across all 94 districts. A prison term was given to 60% of the group, and 30% received probation onl
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–202 › Administration of Justice Offense: District of Connecticut
In brief: The District of Connecticut sentenced 20 people for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as the median for this offense type across all 94 districts. A prison term was given to 60% of the group, and 30% received probation only.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 20 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.
What "Administration of Justice" Covers
The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses "Administration of Justice" as an offense type for cases about interference with the courts and law enforcement. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), used for 8 people.
Others were §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) for 5 people, §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury) for 3 people, and §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers) for 2 people.
The group is less than 1% of the 3,174 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Versus Probation
A prison term went to 12 of the 20 people (60%). Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 6 (30%). In all districts, 72% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.
Among those who went to prison, a quarter received 19.8 months or more, and a quarter received 3 months or less. The district's median for all offenses was 36 months.
These are the terms imposed, not time served.
An Even Split Around the Range
7 people (35%) were sentenced within the guideline range, and 7 (35%) were below it at the government's request. 6 people (30%) were below it without a government request. No one was above it.
Nationally, 48% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. The district figure for all offenses was 30%.
Pleas, Trial, and Mandatory Minimums
A total of 19 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. All guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. The national guilty plea rate was 93%.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 12 months. The single trial case received 57 months, which is too little to compare. No mandatory minimum applied to anyone in the group (0%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release followed prison for 9 people (45%), with a median term of 12 months. 3 people (15%) were ordered to pay a fine, and 9 (45%) restitution.
Criminal history was mostly in the lowest category (70%), and 5% were in the highest.
The Yearly Table
No one was sentenced in this offense type in fiscal years 2020 and 2022, so those years are missing from the table. Other years had 1 to 4 people.
The median prison term was 0 months in fiscal year 2016 and 28.5 months in fiscal year 2025. These are very small groups, and the table does not show a trend. The counts were 12 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 0 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 4 | 18 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 4 | 10 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 3 | 15 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | 25 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 28.5 months | 1 of 2 |
Limits
Only people who were convicted and sentenced appear here. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data.
The records do not give the facts of any case or the reason for any sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Connecticut (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Connecticut") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (20). 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 Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Connecticut, 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.