> ## 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 Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-southern-district-of-iowa/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:06:32.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:06:32.000Z - Description: 260 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 258 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 120 months (10 years). Across all 94 federal districts, the median for thi - 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 Iowa, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-iowa/) › Child Pornography: Southern District of Iowa **In brief:** 260 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Southern District of Iowa in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 258 (more than 99%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 120 months (10 years). Across all 94 federal districts, the median for this offense type 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 260 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 Compared With All Districts The median prison term for child pornography offenses in this district was 120 months. A quarter of the people sent to prison received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 81 months or less. The median across all 94 districts was 90 months, so this district's median was higher. For all offenses in the Southern District of Iowa, the median prison term was 80 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. These cases were 6% of the 4,208 people sentenced in the district. ## Mandatory Minimums Applied Often A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 184 of the 260 people (71%). A mandatory minimum sets a lowest prison term that a court must impose unless a legal exception applies. Even so, 122 people (47%) were sentenced below the guideline range without a government request, and 46 (18%) were below it at the government's request. 87 (33%) were within the range, and 5 (2%) were above it. In all 94 districts, 32% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. ## The Guideline The Sentencing Commission assigns each case one primary guideline. 259 of the 260 cases used §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). The offense type is the Commission's label, and it uses the term "Child Pornography". The records here do not give the statute for each person. ## Pleas and Trials 248 of the 260 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 12 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 120 months. After a trial it was 168 months, based on 12 people. The groups are not matched, so the records cannot show whether going to trial changed a sentence. Among the guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas with no agreement. ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution 258 people (more than 99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 96 months. 2 people (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. Restitution was ordered for 150 people (58%), and a fine for 5 (2%). On criminal history, 69% were in the lowest category, and 2% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Yearly Counts and Medians Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 92 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 168 people. Yearly counts in the table range from 15 to 37 people. Medians range from 88.5 months in fiscal year 2017 to 151 months in fiscal year 2024. Medians moved up and down from year to year. The records cannot show why a given year was higher or lower, and the yearly counts are small enough that one year is not a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 24 | 90 months | 100% | | 2017 | 29 | 88.5 months | 93% | | 2018 | 15 | 121 months | 93% | | 2019 | 24 | 120 months | 83% | | 2020 | 24 | 120.5 months | 100% | | 2021 | 37 | 108 months | 97% | | 2022 | 32 | 143 months | 94% | | 2023 | 24 | 120.5 months | 100% | | 2024 | 23 | 151 months | 91% | | 2025 | 28 | 112.5 months | 100% | ## What the Records Cannot Show The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records do not describe the images, the number of images, or the facts of any case. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Iowa (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Iowa South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (260). 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 Iowa, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-iowa/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-iowa/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-iowa/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-iowa/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Iowa, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-iowa/) (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.