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# Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:58.000Z
- Description: 28 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 28 received a prison term. The median was 96.5 months, or 8 years. For all 94 districts, the median was 90 months.
- 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) › Child Pornography: Middle District of Alabama

**In brief:** 28 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 28 received a prison term. The median was 96.5 months, or 8 years. For all 94 districts, the median was 90 months.

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 28 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 Close to the All-District Median

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 28 people in its "Child Pornography" offense type, which covers images of child exploitation. All 28 (100%) were sentenced to prison.

The median was 96.5 months. A quarter received 151 months or more, and a quarter received 82.5 months or less. For all districts, 99% of people in this offense type went to prison, with a median of 90 months.

For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months.

## Mandatory Minimums

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 21 of the 28 people with that information recorded (75%).

All 28 cases had the same primary guideline, §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). These cases were 1% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the district.

## Sentences Against the Guideline Range

12 sentences (43%) were below the guideline range without a government request, and 6 (21%) were below it at the government's request. 10 sentences (36%) were within the range. None was above the range.

For all districts, 32% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, which is lower than the 36% here.

## Pleas

All 28 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. The all-district guilty plea rate was 97%. The rate for all offenses in this district was 94%. Because no one went to trial, the records give no trial comparison for this offense type.

Among the guilty pleas, 75% had a written plea agreement and 25% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Supervised Release and Financial Orders

All 28 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 9 people (32%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 1 person (4%), and restitution for 19 people (68%). In criminal history, 79% were in the lowest category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 14 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 14 people. The most in one year was 7 people, and 4 years have 1 person.

The medians range from 72 months to 210 months. These counts are too small to show a trend, and the records do not explain why the yearly figures differ from one another.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 4                | 84 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2017        | 1                | 180 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2018        | 2                | 84 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2019        | 7                | 120 months    | 7 of 7         |
| 2020        | 3                | 120 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2021        | 3                | 78 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2022        | 1                | 210 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2023        | 3                | 72 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2024        | 1                | 97 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 3                | 108 months    | 3 of 3         |

## Maxwell AFB and Limits

Maxwell AFB, Alabama, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. This post reports the federal numbers on their own.

Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission data, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

### 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 "Child Pornography" (28). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (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.