Federal Assault Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
From fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025, 69 people were sentenced for assault offenses in the Western District of North Carolina. Of those, 65 (94%) received a prison term, and the median was 82 months. The median for assault in all 94 districts was 42 months.
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In brief: From fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025, 69 people were sentenced for assault offenses in the Western District of North Carolina. Of those, 65 (94%) received a prison term, and the median was 82 months. The median for assault in all 94 districts was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 69 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.
Which Assault Guidelines Were Used
"Assault" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense category, assigned from the primary sentencing guideline in each case. In this district, §2A2.1 (Assault with Intent to Commit Murder) was the primary guideline for 35 people. Another 28 used §2A2.2 (Aggravated Assault).
A total of 4 people were sentenced under §2A2.3 (Assault), and 1 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). Assault cases were 1% of the 4,904 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison Terms Compared With All Districts
Among the 65 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 82 months, or 6.8 years. A quarter received 144 months or more, and a quarter received 42 months or less. One person received a life sentence, and 3 (4%) received probation only.
In all 94 districts, 90% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 42 months. The median here was higher. The district's median for all offense types was 57 months, so assault sentences in this district were also higher than the district's overall median.
Plea and Trial Medians
A total of 65 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 93%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 78 months. After a trial it was 271.5 months, but that figure is based on only 4 people. A median from 4 cases cannot support a conclusion about trials in general.
Among guilty pleas, 71% had a written plea agreement and 29% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Against the Guideline Range
Of the 68 people with the information, 38 (56%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 16 (24%) were below the range without a government request, and 8 (12%) were below it at the government's request. A total of 6 (9%) were above the range.
For assault in all districts, 48% were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 6 of the 68 people (9%).
Small Yearly Counts
The district sentenced 35 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 34 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts range from 2 to 17 people.
Because the groups are so small, the yearly medians vary widely. The median was 30 months in fiscal year 2018 and 168 months in fiscal year 2024. These are different groups of a few people each, and the table should not be read as a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17 | 78 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 8 | 110 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2018 | 8 | 30 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2019 | 2 | 26.3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 11 | 82 months | 91% |
| 2021 | 3 | 42 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 7 | 76 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2023 | 2 | 121.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 4 | 168 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2025 | 7 | 115 months | 7 of 7 |
After Prison and Other Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 64 people (93%). The median term was 36 months, and 1 person (1%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 1 (1%), and restitution for 15 (22%). In criminal history, 35% were in the lowest category (category I) and 7% were in the highest (category VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What the Records Do Not Say
The 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. The data does not show injuries, weapons, or the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Assault" (69). 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 North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, 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.