Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025
Of 44 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Western District of Tennessee in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 (77%) received a prison term and 8 (18%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as in all 94 federal districts together.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY20 › Administration of Justice Offense: Western District of Tennessee
In brief: Of 44 people sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Western District of Tennessee in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 34 (77%) received a prison term and 8 (18%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, the same as in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 44 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.
Prison or Probation?
This offense type is one where prison was not the result for everyone. In this district, 34 of 44 people (77%) were sent to prison, and 8 (18%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
For all 94 districts together, 72% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The share in this district was higher.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 22.5 months or more, and a quarter received 1.8 months or less.
What the Category Covers
"Administration of Justice" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for a group of offenses about interfering with courts, officers, and investigations. Each person is placed in a category by the primary guideline used in the sentence.
The most common primary guideline was §2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony), with 19 people. Next were §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers) with 9, §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) with 6, and §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) with 4.
These cases were 1% of the 4,226 people sentenced in the district in the period. The district's median prison term for all offenses was 60 months, much longer than the 12 months here.
How the Sentences Related to the Guideline Range
The guideline range was recorded for all 44 people. For 36% (16), the sentence was within the range.
The sentence was below the range at the government's request for 32% (14), and below the range without a government request for another 32% (14). No sentence was above the range.
Across all 94 districts, 48% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. Sentences within the range were less common here than in that national group.
Guilty Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
Guilty pleas accounted for 42 of the 44 people (95%). Only 2 were convicted after a trial.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 40.5 months, based on just 2 people, so it describes those cases and not a pattern.
Among guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Other Terms of the Sentences
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 44 people (2%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 34 people (77%), with a median term of 12 months.
A fine was ordered for 3 people (7%), and restitution for 2 (5%).
The lowest criminal history category, category I, applied to 45% of people. The highest, category VI, applied to 7%.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 27 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 17 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table shows each year that had cases, and fiscal year 2020 does not appear in it.
Most years had between 2 and 10 people, so a single median in one year says little by itself. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10 | 8.3 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 7 | 18 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2018 | 4 | 8 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2019 | 6 | 14.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 4 | 6 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 2 | 18.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 7 | 16.5 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 2 | 18 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 23 months | 2 of 2 |
Limits of These Records
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not include dismissals or acquittals.
Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the records do not describe the facts behind any one sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Tennessee (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Tennessee West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (44). 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 Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, 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.