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# Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-administration-of-justice-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:59:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:59:37.000Z
- Description: In the District of Massachusetts, 35 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 27 (77%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 5 months. In all 94 districts, the median for this offense type was 12 months.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-massachusetts/) › Administration of Justice Offense: District of Massachusetts

**In brief:** In the District of Massachusetts, 35 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 27 (77%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 5 months. In all 94 districts, the median for this offense type was 12 months.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 35 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## A Median of 5 Months

"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for these cases. In this district, 27 of 35 people (77%) received a prison term, and 4 (11%) received probation only.

Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 5 months. A quarter received 11.6 months or more, and a quarter received 0.5 months or less. For all offenses in this district, the median was 30 months.

## Comparison With All Districts

In all 94 districts, 6,448 people were sentenced for this offense type, 72% were sent to prison, and the median was 12 months. In this district, a higher share was sent to prison, and the median was lower.

These cases were less than 1% of the 4,847 people sentenced in this district.

## Obstruction and Related Guidelines

The most common primary guideline was §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), with 16 people. Next was §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), with 6, and §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), with 5.

Another 2 people were under §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant).

## Pleas, Trials, and the Guideline Range

A total of 32 of 35 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 93% pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 4.5 months after a guilty plea and 27 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on a single person sent to prison.

Of the 35 people with the information, 7 (20%) were within the guideline range. A total of 14 (40%) were below it at the government's request, and 12 (34%) were below it without a government request. Another 2 (6%) were above the range. In all districts, 48% were within the range.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 34 people with that information recorded (6%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Plea Agreements

After prison, 21 people (60%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 9 people (26%), and restitution for 2 (6%).

Among guilty pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement and 16% were straight pleas with no agreement. On criminal history, 66% were in the lowest category and 6% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Yearly Figures Vary Widely

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 16 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 19\. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

Years have between 1 and 7 people. The median prison term was 0 months in 2020 and 2021 and 33 months in 2024\. Groups this small do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 27 months     | 0 of 1         |
| 2017        | 3                | 11.6 months   | 3 of 3         |
| 2018        | 6                | 8 months      | 5 of 6         |
| 2019        | 6                | 4 months      | 6 of 6         |
| 2020        | 1                | 0 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 4                | 0 months      | 4 of 4         |
| 2022        | 1                | 1.5 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2023        | 2                | 6 months      | 2 of 2         |
| 2024        | 4                | 33 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2025        | 7                | 1.5 months    | 6 of 7         |

## What Is Missing

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served, and the records do not describe the facts behind any case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (35). 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.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-massachusetts/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-massachusetts/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.