Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
In the District of South Dakota, 189 of the 214 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (88%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 9 months, lower than the 12 months across all 94 federal districts. The most common guideline, used in 151 cas
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20 › Administration of Justice Offense: District of South Dakota
In brief: In the District of South Dakota, 189 of the 214 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (88%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 9 months, lower than the 12 months across all 94 federal districts. The most common guideline, used in 151 cases, covers obstructing or impeding officers.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 214 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.
A Category Built Mostly Around One Guideline
"Administration of Justice" is the Commission's label for several related offenses. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), used in 151 of the 214 cases.
The others were §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) in 21 cases, §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony) in 21, and §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) in 11. The group is 4% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district.
Prison More Often, for Shorter Terms
Across all 94 districts, 72% of the 6,448 people in this offense type were sent to prison. In this district the share was 88%, and 22 people (10%) received probation only.
The median here was 9 months. A quarter received 16 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less. For all offenses in the district, the median was 36 months.
Trial Sentences Were Lower in This Group
199 of 214 (93%) pleaded guilty, and 15 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 9 months. After a trial it was 6 months, based on 11 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
The records do not show why the trial median is lower. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 214 people (less than 1%).
Guideline Range Positions
57% of sentences (122) were within the advisory guideline range. 8% (17) were below it at the government's request, 31% (67) were below it without a government request, and 4% (8) were above it.
Across all districts, 48% of sentences for this type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 57%, the same as here.
Yearly Counts and Plea Rates
103 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 111 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly count ranges from 11 in fiscal year 2023 to 31 in fiscal year 2018.
The guilty plea rate was 70% in fiscal year 2019, the lowest in the table, and 100% in fiscal years 2016, 2020, and 2021. Yearly medians range from 6 months to 12 months.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 26 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 26 | 6 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 31 | 9 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 20 | 9 months | 70% |
| 2020 | 22 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 21 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 25 | 8.5 months | 88% |
| 2023 | 11 | 7 months | 91% |
| 2024 | 15 | 9 months | 93% |
| 2025 | 17 | 12 months | 88% |
Supervised Release and Other Orders
171 people (80%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (1%), and restitution for 21 (10%).
In criminal history, 47% were in the lowest category I and 7% in the highest VI. More than 99% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these figures.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (214). 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 South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, 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.