Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
488 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 75% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months, the same as in all 94 districts. 98% pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Administration of Justice Offense: Western District of Texas
In brief: 488 people were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 75% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months, the same as in all 94 districts. 98% pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 488 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 Median of 12 Months in This District and Nationally
365 of the 488 people (75%) received a prison term, and 116 (24%) received probation only. Among those 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.
In all 94 districts, 6,448 people were sentenced for these offenses. 72% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 12 months. The district's median matched that figure. The median for every offense type in this district was 10 months.
Which Offenses Are Involved
The Commission's offense type is "Administration of Justice", and it labels the district "Texas West". The most common primary guideline was §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), with 228 people.
§2X4.1 (Misprision of Felony) had 211 people. §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) had 26, and §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) had 8. These cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district.
Pleas and Trials
476 of 488 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 12 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 21 months, based on 11 people sent to prison.
73% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 26% were straight pleas with no agreement. In all 94 districts, 93% pleaded guilty.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
For all 488 people, 59% (288) were within the guideline range. 14% (69) were below it at the government's request, and 23% (110) were below it without a government request. 4% (21) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 48% were within the range. No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 485 people with that information recorded (0%).
Yearly Pattern
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 237 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 251 people were sentenced. The yearly table shows 30 to 74 people a year.
The median prison term was 12 months in most years from fiscal year 2020 on. In fiscal years 2016, 2018, and 2019 it was between 8.7 months and 9.1 months. The records show this but cannot show why.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 58 | 9.1 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 74 | 12 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 54 | 8.7 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 51 | 9 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 45 | 12 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 30 | 13.5 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 56 | 12 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 38 | 12 months | 92% |
| 2024 | 36 | 12 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 46 | 12 months | 98% |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
333 people (68%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 74 (15%), and restitution for 17 (3%). 70% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 4% were in the highest.
Limits
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are missing. Courts-martial for installations in the district are tried in military courts, and none of these figures describe them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (488). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.