Federal Assault Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
In the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 45 people were sentenced for assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 38 (84%) received a prison term, with a median of 35 months, compared with 42 months across all 94 federal districts. All 45 pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY20 › Assault: Eastern District of Wisconsin
In brief: In the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 45 people were sentenced for assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 38 (84%) received a prison term, with a median of 35 months, compared with 42 months across all 94 federal districts. All 45 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 45 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.
How Long Were the Prison Terms?
A total of 38 of the 45 people (84%) received a prison term, and 4 (9%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 90% were sent to prison.
The median prison term was 35 months (2.9 years). A quarter received 48 months or more, and a quarter received 15.8 months or less. The all-districts median was 42 months, which is higher than the median here. The median for all offenses in this district was 48 months.
These are sentences imposed by the court. Time actually served is not part of the data.
Pleas: 45 of 45
All 45 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 93% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. Every guilty plea here came with a written plea agreement.
The Commission's data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. A case that ended in acquittal or dismissal would not appear.
Within the Range More Often Than the District's Other Cases
Of the 44 people with the information, 34% (15) were sentenced within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 20% (9), and below the range without a government request were 36% (16). Above the range were 9% (4).
For all offenses in this district, 17% of sentences were within the range, so assault cases were within it more often. Across all districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range.
Which Guidelines Applied
"Assault" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault), with 36 people. Another 4 were sentenced mainly under §2A2.3 (Assault), and 1 under §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).
Assault cases were 2% of the 2,907 people sentenced in the district. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of the 44 people with that information recorded (2%).
After Prison and Before Sentencing
Supervised release was ordered for 37 people (82%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 people (7%), and restitution for 10 (22%).
The federal data also records criminal history. In these cases, 37% were in category I, the lowest, and 14% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this point cannot be compared with courts-martial.
Yearly Counts Are Small
The district sentenced 16 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 29 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Each fiscal year starts on October 1.
No year had more than 11 people, and 4 years had 3 or 4. The table's medians, from 0.6 months to 66.5 months, come from groups too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 42 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 5 | 31 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0.6 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 4 | 27 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 4 | 41 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 11 | 30 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 4 | 60 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 3 | 34 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 66.5 months | 3 of 3 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (45). 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 Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 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.