> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-district-of-delaware/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:19.000Z - Description: In the District of Delaware, 21 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 21 received prison, and the median prison term was 96 months (8 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 districts. A mandatory minimum applied t - 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 Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) › Child Pornography: District of Delaware **In brief:** In the District of Delaware, 21 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 21 received prison, and the median prison term was 96 months (8 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 11 of the 21. 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 21 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/). ## Prison Terms in Delaware Child Pornography Cases The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 21 people sentenced in the District of Delaware under its offense type "Child Pornography" in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Images of child exploitation is another way to describe the material involved. All 21 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 96 months, or 8 years. A quarter received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. ## How This Compares With All Districts In all 94 districts, 13,674 people were sentenced for child pornography. 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. Delaware's median of 96 months is higher than that figure, though the Delaware group is small. For all offenses in Delaware, the median prison term was 27 months. Child pornography cases were 2% of the 925 people sentenced in the district. The only primary guideline was §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor), which applied to all 21 people. ## Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 11 of the 21 people (52%). Against the guideline range, 43% of sentences (9 people) were within the range. 48% (10 people) were below the range without a government request, and 10% (2 people) were below it at the government's request. None were above the range. In all districts, 32% of child pornography sentences were within the range, so Delaware's share is higher. For all offenses in Delaware, it was 44%. ## Pleas and the Single Trial 20 of the 21 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts was 97%. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 90 months. The 1 person convicted at trial received 180 months. A single case cannot show how trial and plea sentences usually compare. All guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement. ## Supervised Release and Other Orders All 21 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 120 months. Restitution was ordered for 14 people (67%), and a fine for 1 (5%). 67% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 2 | 120 months | 2 of 2 | | 2017 | 2 | 138 months | 2 of 2 | | 2018 | 2 | 50 months | 2 of 2 | | 2019 | 4 | 120 months | 4 of 4 | | 2020 | 1 | 180 months | 0 of 1 | | 2021 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 | | 2022 | 2 | 60 months | 2 of 2 | | 2024 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 | | 2025 | 6 | 76.5 months | 6 of 6 | ## What Yearly Counts and the Records Cannot Show Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 11\. No year in the table has more than 6 people, and several have 1\. Yearly medians, from 50 months to 180 months, therefore rest on very few sentences and are not trends. Dover AFB, Delaware is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. These federal numbers are reported on their own. The records do not show the number of images, the charges that were dropped, or the reasons for any sentence. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Delaware (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Delaware") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (21). 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 Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-delaware/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Delaware, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-delaware/) (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.