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# Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-maryland/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:01:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:01:43.000Z
- Description: In the District of Maryland, 85 people were sentenced for assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 96.5 months (8 years), compared with 42 months for assault in all 94 federal districts. The most common primary guideline was §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murd
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-maryland/) › Assault: District of Maryland

**In brief:** In the District of Maryland, 85 people were sentenced for assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The median prison term was 96.5 months (8 years), compared with 42 months for assault in all 94 federal districts. The most common primary guideline was §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 85 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Which Assault Guidelines Applied?

"Assault" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, and it is based on the primary guideline. The most common was §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder), with 44 people. Next was §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault), with 19, and §2A2.3 (Assault), with 9.

These cases were 1% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the District of Maryland.

## Prison Terms Were Long

Of the 85 people, 70 (82%) received a prison term, and 11 (13%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 96.5 months. A quarter received 150 months or more, and a quarter received 51.2 months or less.

For assault in all 94 districts, 90% were sent to prison and the median was 42 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 48 months. The Maryland assault median was higher than both, and the share sent to prison was lower than the all-district share.

## Sentences and the Guideline Range

Of the 75 people with the information, 29 (39%) were within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 32 (43%), and 7 (9%) were below it without a government request. Another 7 (9%) were above it.

For assault in all 94 districts, 48% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 31%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 16 of the 75 people with that information recorded (21%).

## Plea and Trial Results

A total of 81 of the 85 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 93% of assault cases ended in a guilty plea. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 95%.

The median prison term was 96 months after a guilty plea and 235 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on only 2 people. Among guilty pleas, 80% had a written plea agreement and 15% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## After Prison

Supervised release was ordered for 66 people (78%), with a median term of 36 months. Of those, 1 person (1%) received supervised release for life. No fine was ordered, and restitution was ordered for 13 (15%).

In criminal history, 41% were in the lowest category and 9% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Small Yearly Groups

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 47 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 38\. Each year in the table has between 2 and 17 people. Yearly medians range from 17.8 months in 2020 to 126.5 months in 2017, which is too wide and too small a base to show a trend.

A fiscal year starts in October and ends the following September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 5                | 84 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2017        | 17               | 126.5 months  | 100%           |
| 2018        | 11               | 105 months    | 100%           |
| 2019        | 14               | 84 months     | 93%            |
| 2020        | 8                | 17.8 months   | 7 of 8         |
| 2021        | 6                | 69.5 months   | 5 of 6         |
| 2022        | 9                | 97 months     | 9 of 9         |
| 2023        | 6                | 120 months    | 6 of 6         |
| 2024        | 2                | 54.7 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2025        | 7                | 97 months     | 6 of 7         |

## What Cannot Be Read From This

Only people who were convicted and sentenced are included, and terms are those imposed, not time served. The records do not describe the injuries or facts of any case.

Fort Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, are in this district. Military courts hear courts-martial, and those are separate from this federal district court.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (85). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-maryland/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.