Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
All 373 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 144 months (12 years), compared with 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts together.
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In brief: All 373 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 144 months (12 years), compared with 90 months for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts together.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 373 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.
Mandatory Minimums and Prison Terms
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 250 of the 373 people (67%). All 373 (100%) were sent to prison. The median was 144 months. A quarter received 220 months or more, and a quarter received 97 months or less.
Nationally, 13,674 people were sentenced for child pornography offenses. 99% were sent to prison, and the median was 90 months. The median for all offenses in this district was 60 months. The figures are imposed terms rather than time served.
One Guideline for Every Case
The Sentencing Commission's "Child Pornography" offense type in this district consists of one primary guideline. All 373 people had §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor).
These cases were 3% of the 14,591 people sentenced in the district. The Commission's category uses the term "child pornography," and this post also uses the plainer description, images of child exploitation.
Almost No Trials
370 of 373 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 137 months after a guilty plea and 210 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 3 people and says little by itself.
90% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 10% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Position Against the Guideline Range
The range here is the advisory range the federal guidelines produce for each case. 255 sentences (68%) were within it. 7 (2%) were below it at the government's request, and 87 (23%) were below it without a request. 24 (6%) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 32% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 62%.
Long Supervision Terms
All 373 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 120 months, and 73 people (20%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 9 (2%), and restitution for 82 (22%). 76% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 1% were in the highest.
Medians by Fiscal Year
141 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 232 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts range from 26 to 53. Yearly medians range from 97 months to 210 months, with the highest in fiscal year 2023.
The medians differ from year to year. The records do not show why.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 48 | 121 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 35 | 135 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 32 | 135 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 26 | 120.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 28 | 97 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 53 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 43 | 172 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 43 | 210 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 29 | 180 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 36 | 151 months | 100% |
What the Data Does Not Show
Convicted and sentenced people are the only ones counted. Acquittals and dismissals are absent from the data. Dyess AFB, Goodfellow AFB, and Sheppard AFB are in this district, while courts-martial are held in military courts and not here. The records do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (373). 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 Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, 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.