Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025
187 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 149 (80%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months, which is the same median as for this offense type in all 94 districts. 44% of sentences were within the
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY › Administration of Justice Offense: Southern District of California
In brief: 187 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 149 (80%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months, which is the same median as for this offense type in all 94 districts. 44% of sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 187 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.
Guidelines in This Category
"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense category and is assigned by the main guideline in each case.
83 cases used §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), and 41 used §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony). 18 used §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice), and 5 used §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury).
These cases were less than 1% of the 32,099 people sentenced in the district.
Prison and Probation
149 of the 187 people (80%) were sentenced to prison. 28 (15%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. In all districts, 72% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. The median for all offenses in this district was 15 months.
A listed prison term is the sentence imposed, not the time actually served.
The Guideline Range
Under the Commission's rules, each case has a guideline range. 83 sentences (44%) were within it, which is higher than the 15% for all offenses in this district. For this offense type in all districts, it was 48%.
59 sentences (32%) were below the range at the government's request, and 33 (18%) were below it without a government request. 12 (6%) were above the range.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
175 of the 187 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 12 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 12.5 months, based on 8 people sent to prison. These medians are about the same.
97% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 183 people with that information.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
127 people (68%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 16 people (9%), and restitution for 14 (7%).
61% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 10% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Year by Year
63 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 124 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table shows yearly counts from 6 in 2021 to 39 in 2022.
The yearly median prison term ranges from 3.4 months in 2020 to 16.5 months in 2018. The yearly counts are small, so a single year's figures should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 6 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2017 | 14 | 12 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 22 | 16.5 months | 86% |
| 2019 | 18 | 14 months | 83% |
| 2020 | 14 | 3.4 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 6 | 10 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 39 | 12 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 25 | 12 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 26 | 8 months | 96% |
| 2025 | 14 | 7.2 months | 100% |
What Cannot Be Told From This Data
Nothing here covers people who were acquitted or whose charges were dismissed. The data also gives no account of any case, so it cannot explain why one sentence differs from another. The court-martial data lists Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and San Diego for this district, and those trials take place in military courts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (187). 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 California, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern District of California, 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.