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# Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:14:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:14:06.000Z
- Description: All 32 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 151 months (12.6 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied
- 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) › Child Pornography: Southern District of Alabama

**In brief:** All 32 people sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 151 months (12.6 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 28 people (88%).

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 32 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/).

## Mandatory Minimums and Prison Terms

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 32 people in this district whose offense type was Child Pornography. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 28 of the 32 with that information recorded (88%). A mandatory minimum is a lowest sentence set by statute.

All 32 (100%) were sentenced to prison, and 0 received probation only. The median prison term was 151 months (12.6 years). A quarter received 236.2 months or more, and a quarter received 93.8 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.

## Comparison With All Districts

Across all 94 federal districts, 13,674 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses, 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. The median here was higher.

For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 41 months. These cases were 1% of the 2,994 people sentenced in this district in the period. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Guilty Pleas and One Trial

Of the 32 people, 31 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 151 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after the trial. The trial figure is one case, so it cannot be compared with the plea group.

In all districts, 97% pleaded guilty for this offense type, and for all offenses in this district the share was 97%. Among guilty pleas, 97% had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Primary Guideline and Range

§2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor) was the primary guideline for all 32 people.

All 32 had guideline information. Of these, 19 (59%) were sentenced within the range. Another 7 (22%) were below it without a government request, and 3 (9%) were below it at the government's request. 3 people (9%) were above the range.

In all districts, 32% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. The share here was higher. For all offenses in this district, it was 56%, and the share here was also higher than that.

## Supervised Release for Life

All 32 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 180 months, and 15 people (47%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 0, and restitution for 11 people (34%). In criminal history, 72% were in the lowest category (category I), and 3% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 16 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 16\. Yearly counts are 1 to 6, so the table does not show a trend.

Medians range from 60 months in 2020 to 235 months in 2018, and each rests on very few people. Fiscal years begin on October 1.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 3                | 65 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2017        | 6                | 199 months    | 5 of 6         |
| 2018        | 3                | 235 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2019        | 4                | 154 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2020        | 1                | 60 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 3                | 151 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2022        | 2                | 210 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2023        | 3                | 151 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2024        | 3                | 180 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2025        | 4                | 157.5 months  | 4 of 4         |

## Limits of the Records

Only people who were convicted and sentenced are in the Commission data. Acquittals and dismissals are not. The records do not describe the facts of any case, and they do not say how many images were involved.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (32). 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-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.