Federal Assault Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
Of the 41 people sentenced for assault offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 39 (95%) received a prison term, with a median of 55 months (4.6 years). After a guilty plea the median was 51 months. After a trial it was 230 months, based on 4 people.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY20 › Assault: Western District of Louisiana
In brief: Of the 41 people sentenced for assault offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 39 (95%) received a prison term, with a median of 55 months (4.6 years). After a guilty plea the median was 51 months. After a trial it was 230 months, based on 4 people.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 41 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.
Guilty Pleas Compared With Trials
Of the 41 people, 37 (90%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 51 months. After a trial it was 230 months, based on 4 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
The trial group is small. The records do not show why the terms differ, and they do not describe the facts of any case.
In all 94 federal districts, 93% of people sentenced for assault pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the share was 96%. The share here was lower than both.
Overall Prison Terms
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 41 people in this district whose offense type was Assault. Of these, 39 (95%) received a prison term, and 2 (5%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 55 months (4.6 years). A quarter received 115 months or more, and a quarter received 39 months or less.
Across all districts, 7,573 people were sentenced for assault, 90% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 42 months. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 60 months.
Primary Guidelines
The offense type is the Commission's category, assigned from the primary guideline. §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault) was the primary guideline for 24 people. §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder) was the primary guideline for 8, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 5. §2A2.3 (Assault) applied to 1.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 39 people with that information recorded (3%).
Sentences Within, Below, and Above the Range
Of the 38 people with guideline information, 24 (63%) were sentenced within the range. Another 6 (16%) were below it at the government's request, and 4 (11%) were below it without a government request. 4 people (11%) were sentenced above the range.
In all districts, 48% of assault sentences were within the range. The share here was higher. For all offenses in this district, 67% were within the range, so the share for assault was lower.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 32 people (78%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (2%), and restitution for 7 (17%).
Among guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
In criminal history, 11% were in the lowest category (category I), and 37% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
Assault cases were 1% of the 3,011 people sentenced in this district in the period. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 19 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 22. Fiscal years begin on October 1.
The yearly table shows counts of 2 to 9 people, so it does not show a trend. Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk, both in Louisiana, are in this district and in this site's court-martial data. A court-martial is a military proceeding and is not heard in the district court.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 5 | 55 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2018 | 3 | 145.5 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2019 | 9 | 44 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2020 | 4 | 90 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 3 | 45 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 4 | 128.5 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | 3 | 51 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 88.5 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 108 months | 2 of 2 |
Limits of the Records
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.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (41). 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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, 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.