> ## 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. # Child Pornography Sentences in 2019: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial-2019/ - Published: 2026-11-03T06:54:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T06:54:11.000Z - Description: The median sentence for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in 2019 was 32.5 months of confinement at courts-martial and 84 months of federal prison. The court-martial figure covers 20 convictions with 2019 trial dates. The federal figure covers 1,363 people sentenced in fiscal - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Child Pornography Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial/) › Child Pornography: 2019 **In brief:** The median sentence for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in 2019 was 32.5 months of confinement at courts-martial and 84 months of federal prison. The court-martial figure covers 20 convictions with 2019 trial dates. The federal figure covers 1,363 people sentenced in fiscal year 2019, so the military number is far less stable. Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,363 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2019, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). 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/). ## The Main Numbers for 2019 Courts-martial: 20 convictions for possession, receipt, or distribution, all 20 with confinement (100%). The median adjudged confinement was 32.5 months (2.7 years), and a quarter of sentences were 60.5 months or more. Federal court: 1,363 people sentenced under primary sentencing guideline §2G2.2, covering 18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A. Of them, 1,349 (99%) received a prison term and 11 (less than 1%) received probation only. The median prison term was 84 months (7 years). A quarter received 121 months or more, a quarter received 60 months or less, and 3 people received a life sentence. Federal prison terms were longer at the median and at the upper quarter. | | Courts-martial, 2019 | Federal court, FY2019 | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | | Convictions or people sentenced | 20 | 1,363 | | Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100% | 99% | | Median confinement or prison | 32.5 months | 84 months | | A quarter received this or more | 60.5 months | 121 months | | Pleaded guilty | 3 of 4 with a plea recorded (3 of 4) | 97% | | Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 902 of 1,362 with the information (66%) | ## Different Years, Different Counts The court-martial year is calendar year 2019, by trial date. The federal year is fiscal year 2019, which started October 1, 2018 and ended September 30, 2019. The groups also differ in what they count. The military figure is convictions. The federal figure is people sentenced, so cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are not part of it. The 20 military convictions came from the Air Force (17) and the Marine Corps (3). This data has no Army court-martial records before 2020\. A group of 20 is small, and a single year of it is not a trend. ## Trials Compared With Guilty Pleas Federal defendants convicted at trial received longer prison terms at the median. The median was 193 months for the 42 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. It was 84 months after a guilty plea. Guilty pleas made up 1,321 of the 1,363 federal cases (97%). Of those pleas, 84% had a written plea agreement and 15% were straight pleas with no agreement. The court-martial records list a plea for just 4 of the 20 convictions. Of those 4, 3 were guilty pleas, with a median confinement of 16.8 months. The single contested case ending in conviction had confinement of 95.9 months. A comparison built on 3 cases and 1 case says nothing reliable about pleas. ## How the Military Sentences Ended All 20 of those convicted were enlisted, and every one received a punitive discharge (100%). Dishonorable discharges numbered 17, and bad-conduct discharges numbered 3\. No officer convictions are in the 2019 count. Each of the 20 convictions came from a general court-martial (100%). Court-martial sentences in this data are as adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal. ## Federal Sentencing Details A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 902 of the 1,362 people with that information recorded (66%). Against the guideline range, 30% of sentences (411) were within it and 2% (30) were above it. Below-range sentences numbered 309 (23%) at the government's request and 613 (45%) without one. Supervised release followed prison for 1,349 people (99%). The median term was 120 months, and 260 (19%) received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 730 (54%), and a fine for 75 (6%). Category I, the lowest criminal history category, held 76% of those sentenced. Less than 1% were in category VI. There is no criminal history field in the court-martial records. ## 2019 Within the Full Period For trial years 2016 to 2025 together, courts-martial recorded 491 convictions with a median confinement of 22.5 months. For fiscal years 2016 to 2025, federal court sentenced 13,646 people with a median prison term of 90 months. The table shows each federal fiscal year separately. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 1,591 | 84 months | 97% | | 2017 | 1,403 | 78 months | 96% | | 2018 | 1,414 | 87 months | 96% | | 2019 | 1,363 | 84 months | 97% | | 2020 | 1,020 | 84 months | 97% | | 2021 | 1,214 | 92 months | 98% | | 2022 | 1,432 | 96 months | 97% | | 2023 | 1,406 | 97 months | 97% | | 2024 | 1,374 | 97 months | 97% | | 2025 | 1,429 | 97 months | 97% | ## Limits of the Records Federal prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. The records do not describe the images, the evidence, or the facts behind any sentence, so they cannot show how either system would sentence the same conduct. ### How We Counted Courts-martial with a trial date in 2019 ending in a conviction for child pornography (images of child exploitation): possession, receipt, or distribution (20). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal year 2019 under primary sentencing guideline §2G2.2 (possessing, receiving, or distributing child pornography; 18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A) (1,363), U.S. Sentencing Commission. 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 **Who is in each set of numbers.** The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended. **Different cases reach each system.** Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts. **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. **Military confinement credit and parole.** For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served. **Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not.** A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show. **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. **Offense categories do not line up exactly.** Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match. **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) - [Child Pornography Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial/) (overview) - [Child Pornography Sentences in 2018: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial-2018/) (previous or next year) - [Child Pornography Sentences in 2020: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial-2020/) (previous or next year) - [Child Pornography Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/) - [Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-vs-air-force/) - [Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-vs-army/) - [Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-vs-marine-corps/) - [Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-vs-navy/) - [Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-bremerton-vs-western-district-of-washington/) - [Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-camp-lejeune-vs-eastern-district-of-north-carolina/) - [Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-camp-pendleton-vs-southern-district-of-california/) - [Fewer or More? General Article Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [What Sentence Follows an Army General Article Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-sent-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Fighting an Army General Article Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Guilty Pleas in Army General Article Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-plea-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Air Force Article 134 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-134-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [What Sentence Follows an Air Force General Article Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-134-sent-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Guilty Pleas in Air Force General Article Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-134-plea-2016-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps General Article Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 134 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [When Navy-Marine Corps Accused Plead Guilty to General Article](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-plea-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Article 134 UCMJ: The General Article](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [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.