Federal Arson Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to all 10 people sentenced for arson in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2017 to 2024. The median prison term was 87 months (7.2 years), and all 10 pleaded guilty. With only 10 people, these figures describe a small group and not a trend.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Arson: Western District of Texas
In brief: A mandatory minimum prison term applied to all 10 people sentenced for arson in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2017 to 2024. The median prison term was 87 months (7.2 years), and all 10 pleaded guilty. With only 10 people, these figures describe a small group and not a trend.
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.
Mandatory Minimums in Every Case
A mandatory minimum is a prison term that the law sets as a floor. The judge cannot go below it unless a specific exception applies. The records show that a mandatory minimum applied to 10 of the 10 people with that information recorded (100%).
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's data does not say which statute set the minimum in each case. It only records whether one applied.
How Long the Prison Terms Were
All 10 people received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 87 months. A quarter received 114 months or more, and a quarter received 73.5 months or less.
Across all 94 federal districts, 742 people were sentenced for arson, and the median prison term was 60 months. The median in this district was higher than the national figure. The median for all offenses in the Western District of Texas was 10 months.
These are the terms imposed, not the time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 37 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 72 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 5 | 96 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2024 | 3 | 96 months | 3 of 3 |
What Counts as Arson Here
Arson is the Commission's name for this offense type. All 10 cases used the same primary guideline, §2K1.4 (Arson). The primary guideline is the one used to calculate the sentencing range. It does not describe the facts of any one case.
These 10 people were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The cases in these records fall in fiscal years 2017 to 2024.
Below the Range at the Government's Request
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the Commission's guidelines. Among the 10 people, 3 (30%) were sentenced within the range. Another 5 (50%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request. None was below the range without a government request. The other 2 (20%) were above the range.
Across all districts, 45% of arson sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 77%.
Pleas and Other Features
All 10 people pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 90% had a written plea agreement and 10% were straight pleas. Nationally, 93% of arson cases ended in a guilty plea.
All 10 were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (20%) and restitution for 3 (30%). In criminal history, 80% were in the lowest category and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Timing and Limits of the Data
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 1 person, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 9. The yearly table shows 5 people in fiscal year 2023 and 3 in fiscal year 2024. Counts this small cannot show a change over time.
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals, dismissals, and cases not charged are not in it. It also cannot show what damage a fire caused or what led to each sentence.
Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
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 "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 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.