Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025
11 people were sentenced in the District of New Hampshire for administration of justice offenses in the Commission's data for fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 10 received a prison term, with a median of 21.5 months. For this offense type in all 94 districts, the median was 12 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2 › Administration of Justice Offense: District of New Hampshire
In brief: 11 people were sentenced in the District of New Hampshire for administration of justice offenses in the Commission's data for fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 10 received a prison term, with a median of 21.5 months. For this offense type in all 94 districts, the median was 12 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 11 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 This Offense Type Covers
The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses "Administration of Justice" for offenses that interfere with courts and law enforcement. In this district the primary guidelines were §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) for 4 people, and §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), and §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) for 2 people each.
The group is small. These cases were less than 1% of the 1,754 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms
10 of the 11 people (91%) received a prison term, and 1 (9%) received probation only. The median prison term was 21.5 months. A quarter received 33.8 months or more, and a quarter received 8.5 months or less.
For this offense type in all 94 districts, the Commission counts 6,448 people. 72% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 12 months. The district's median was higher than 12 months, and the share sent to prison was also higher than 72%. For all offenses in the district, the median was 30 months.
Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
All 11 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and each plea had a written plea agreement. None was convicted after a trial. For this offense type in all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 11 people (9%). 6 people (55%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 18 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (18%). Restitution was ordered for none.
Guideline Range
36% of sentences (4 people) were within the guideline range. 55% (6) were below the range at the government's request, and 9% (1) was above it. None was below the range without a government request.
For this offense type in all districts, 48% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 31%.
Criminal History
45% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 18% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Very Small Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 5 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 6. The table covers 2016 to 2023, with 1 to 3 people in each year, and 2022 shows no median. The yearly medians run from 8 months in 2023 to 72 months in 2016, but a year with 1 person describes one case. The fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30.
The records do not support a trend from these numbers.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 72 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 15 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 37 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 19 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 3 | 8 months | 3 of 3 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people convicted and sentenced and reports terms imposed, not time served. It does not describe the facts of any case or the case that gave rise to an obstruction or failure-to-appear charge.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Hampshire (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Hampshire") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (11). 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 (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 New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, 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.