Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of Wisconsin, 53 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. All 53 pleaded guilty.
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In brief: In the Western District of Wisconsin, 53 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. All 53 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 53 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 in This District
Of the 53 people sentenced, 52 (98%) received a prison term. One person (2%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 120 months (10 years). A quarter received 144 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less.
For all 94 federal districts together, the same offense type had 13,674 people, 99% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 90 months. The median in this district was higher than that national figure. For all offenses in the Western District of Wisconsin, the median prison term was 59.5 months.
What Counts as This Offense Type
"Child Pornography" is the offense type used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Child pornography is also called images of child exploitation, and this post uses both terms.
All 53 cases had the same primary guideline: §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor). These cases were 4% of the 1,403 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Guilty Pleas and Plea Agreements
53 of 53 (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Across all offenses in the district, guilty pleas were 97%.
Among the guilty pleas, 100% had a written plea agreement. None were straight pleas with no agreement.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 41 of the 53 people with that information recorded (77%). A mandatory minimum is a sentence floor set by statute.
The sheet also records where each sentence fell against the advisory guideline range. 28% (15 people) were sentenced within the range. 13% (7) were below the range at the government's request. 53% (28) were below the range without a government request. 6% (3) were above the range.
Sentences within the guideline range were 32% for all 94 districts in this offense type, and 32% for all offenses in this district. Here the figure was 28%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
52 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 180 months, and 6 (11%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 1 person (2%). Restitution was ordered for 31 (58%).
In the criminal history data, 51% of the people were in the lowest category, and 0% were in the highest category. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that comparison cannot be made.
Year-by-Year Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 25 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 28 people.
Each year has few people, from 2 to 9, so the yearly medians move a great deal. A median based on 2 or 3 people is not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 93 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 3 | 120 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 5 | 37 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 8 | 120 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2020 | 4 | 147 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 6 | 132 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 9 | 120 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2023 | 3 | 60 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 2 | 130.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 98 months | 4 of 4 |
What These Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not show why a sentence was set where it was, and they do not describe the facts of any case. The numbers describe groups of cases in one district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Child Pornography" (53). 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 Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, 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.