Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
Of the 26 people sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in the "Administration of Justice" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 19 (73%) received a prison term and 6 (23%) received probation only. The median prison term was 7.6 months. This is lower than the 12 months for this offense t
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY201 › Administration of Justice Offense: Southern District of Alabama
In brief: Of the 26 people sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in the "Administration of Justice" offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 19 (73%) received a prison term and 6 (23%) received probation only. The median prison term was 7.6 months. This is lower than the 12 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 26 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.
Who Got Prison and Who Got Probation Only
Prison was the sentence for 19 of the 26 people, or 73%. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 6 people, or 23%.
Across all 94 districts, 72% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, out of 6,448 people. The share in this district was about the same.
Among those sent to prison here, the median prison term was 7.6 months. A quarter received 12 months or more, and a quarter received 0.8 months or less.
What Counts as Administration of Justice?
The Commission's "Administration of Justice" category groups cases by their main sentencing guideline. It covers offenses that interfere with how courts and investigations work.
In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), with 13 cases. Next was §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), with 11 cases. 2 cases fell under §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant).
Sentences Below the Guideline Range Were the Most Common Result
Sentences were below the guideline range without a government request for 62% of the group (16 people). Another 8% (2 people) were below the range at the government's request.
Sentences within the range were 31% of the group (8 people), and none were above it. In all 94 districts, 48% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. In all offenses in this district, the figure was 56%.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to anyone in the group.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
A total of 22 of the 26 people (85%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 8 months. After a trial it was 6 months, based on 4 people.
All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. In all 94 districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 97%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 15 people (58%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (4%), and restitution for 2 (8%).
In criminal history, 81% were in the lowest category and 8% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
A Small and Uneven Count by Year
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,994 people sentenced in this district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 13 people.
The table lists only the fiscal years with data. Fiscal year 2016 had 10 people and fiscal year 2022 had 8. Some years had 1 or 2 people, and a median prison term is not available for 2 of the years. These counts are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10 | 6 months | 70% |
| 2017 | 2 | 8.8 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 33 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0.2 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 8 | 10 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
What the Data Does Not Cover
The Commission's data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show the facts or reasons behind any sentence. This post reports federal numbers on their own.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (26). 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, 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.