Federal Assault Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
In the Middle District of Alabama, 22 people were sentenced for federal assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 114 months (9.5 years) for the 20 people sent to prison. That is higher than the district's median of 46 months for all offenses and the 42 months for ass
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016– › Assault: Middle District of Alabama
In brief: In the Middle District of Alabama, 22 people were sentenced for federal assault offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 114 months (9.5 years) for the 20 people sent to prison. That is higher than the district's median of 46 months for all offenses and the 42 months for assault across all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 22 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 Assault Prison Terms?
The 20 people who went to prison had a median prison term of 114 months. A quarter received 171 months or more, and a quarter received 82.2 months or less. The other 2 people (9%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Across all 94 federal districts, 7,573 people were sentenced for assault, and 90% were sent to prison. In the Middle District of Alabama, 91% were sent to prison, which is about the same share. The prison terms, however, were longer here.
Which Offenses Are in the Assault Category
The category is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Assault." It is assigned by the primary guideline, the one that sets the sentencing range for the most serious count.
The most common primary guidelines were §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault) for 11 people and §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder) for 9 people. §2A2.3 (Assault) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) applied to 1 person each. Assault cases were 1% of the 2,037 people sentenced in this district during the period.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 22 people, 18 (82%) pleaded guilty and 4 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea share is lower than the 93% for assault across all districts and the 94% for all offenses in this district.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 91 months. After a trial it was 200 months. The trial figure is based on 4 people, so it is a small group and should not be read as a general rule.
Among the guilty pleas, 83% had a written plea agreement and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
For all 22 people, the sentence was within the guideline range for 10 (45%). It was below the range at the government's request for 3 (14%) and below the range without a government request for 5 (23%). It was above the range for 4 (18%).
Across all districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range, and in this district 47% of all sentences were. The share within the range for assault here was a little lower.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 5 of the 22 people (23%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 20 people (91%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 0 people, and restitution was ordered for 2 (9%).
In criminal history, 41% were in the lowest category and 23% were in the highest category. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that measure has no military counterpart.
Counts by Year and What the Records Cannot Show
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 8 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 14 people. The yearly table has 1 to 4 people in each year, so the yearly medians do not show a trend. Fiscal years run from October through September.
Maxwell AFB, Alabama, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and these figures do not describe any military case.
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the records do not say what led to any sentence.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 90 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2019 | 3 | 92 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 96.5 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | 2 | 160 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 120 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 174 months | 3 of 4 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (22). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle 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.