Federal Arson Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
The Commission's "Arson" offense type had 10 people sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2022 to 2025, and all 10 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median prison term was 54 months (4.5 years), compared with 60 months for this offense type in all 94 federal dist
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY201 › Arson: Southern District of Alabama
In brief: The Commission's "Arson" offense type had 10 people sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2022 to 2025, and all 10 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median prison term was 54 months (4.5 years), compared with 60 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 10 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.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
For 7 of the 10 people (70%), the sentence was above the guideline range. One person (10%) was within the range, one (10%) was below it at the government's request, and one (10%) was below it without a request.
In all 94 districts, 45% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district the figure was 56%.
The sheet does not give the reasons for any sentence, so these numbers cannot show why so many were above the range.
Prison Terms
All 10 people (100%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 54 months. A quarter received 162 months or more, and a quarter received 48 months or less.
Across all 94 districts, 742 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 96% were sent to prison. All offenses in the Southern District of Alabama had a median prison term of 41 months.
One Guideline, and Mandatory Minimums in 5 Cases
All 10 cases fell under a single primary guideline, §2K1.4 (Arson). The Commission's category groups cases by that main guideline.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 5 of the 10 people, which is 50%. The court generally cannot go below a mandatory minimum.
Guilty Pleas Only
Every person in the group pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. All of the guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement.
In all 94 districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. The figure for all offenses in this district was 97%.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for all 10 people (100%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for all 10 (100%), and no fines were ordered.
In criminal history, 60% were in the lowest category and 0% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Where the Cases Fall in Time
The data for this offense type covers fiscal years 2022 to 2025. Arson cases were less than 1% of the 2,994 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Fiscal year 2023 had 8 of the 10 people, with a median prison term of 48 months. Fiscal years 2022 and 2025 had 1 person each, so the table is not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 108 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 8 | 48 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not describe any case or explain a 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 "Arson" (10). 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 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.