Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
389 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 98% received a prison term, and the median was 97 months. The median in all 94 districts was 90 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2 › Child Pornography: Western District of Texas
In brief: 389 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 98% received a prison term, and the median was 97 months. The median in all 94 districts was 90 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 389 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.
Prison Terms for Child Pornography Offenses
The U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type "Child Pornography" covers cases involving images of child exploitation. In the Western District of Texas, which the Commission's data calls "Texas West", 389 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
381 of the 389 (98%) received a prison term, and 8 (2%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 97 months (8.1 years). A quarter received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.
Comparison With All 94 Districts
In all 94 districts, 13,674 people were sentenced for child pornography. 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. The median in this district was higher.
Across all offense types in the district the median was 10 months. These cases were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced here.
Primary Guideline
For 388 of the 389 people, it was §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). 1 person had §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) as the primary guideline.
The statutes and the military offense of the same name use the term child pornography, and this post uses both terms for that reason.
Guilty Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
376 of 389 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 13 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 97 months. After a trial it was 240 months.
78% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 22% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 207 of the 387 people with that information recorded (53%).
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
45% (175) were within the guideline range. 10% (38) were below it at the government's request, and 39% (151) were below it without a government request. 6% (25) were above it.
In all 94 districts, 32% of these sentences were within the range. The all-offense rate in this district was 77%.
Supervised Release and Other Terms
381 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 120 months, and 47 (12%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 39 (10%), and restitution for 227 (58%). 86% were in the lowest criminal history category.
Year by Year and What Is Missing
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 181 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 208 people were sentenced. The yearly table shows counts of 28 to 57 people, and the median prison term ranged from 74 months to 120 months.
Only convicted and sentenced people are counted, and prison terms are those imposed rather than time served. Installations in the district are not covered by these figures, because courts-martial are tried in military courts.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 57 | 120 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 50 | 96 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 36 | 80 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 38 | 108.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 30 | 84 months | 90% |
| 2021 | 32 | 74 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 28 | 120 months | 93% |
| 2023 | 44 | 100 months | 95% |
| 2024 | 35 | 97 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 39 | 120 months | 97% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (389). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western 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.