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# Federal Sentences in the District of Columbia, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-columbia/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:38.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:38.000Z
- Description: Of the 3,336 people sentenced in federal court in the District of Columbia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 383 were convicted at trial. The guilty plea share was 89%, lower than the 97% for all 94 federal districts. The median prison term was 36 months, compared with 24 months nationwide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › District of Columbia

**In brief:** Of the 3,336 people sentenced in federal court in the District of Columbia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 383 were convicted at trial. The guilty plea share was 89%, lower than the 97% for all 94 federal districts. The median prison term was 36 months, compared with 24 months nationwide.

Updated November 3, 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 3,336 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/).

## A Larger Share of Trials

Guilty pleas accounted for 2,953 of the 3,336 sentences in the district. The other 383 people were found guilty at trial.

After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 35 months. After a trial, it was 46.5 months, based on 364 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.

Among those who pleaded guilty, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% entered a straight plea.

## Pleas by Fiscal Year

The guilty plea share changed over the period. It was 98% in fiscal year 2016 and 77% in fiscal year 2023\. In fiscal year 2025 it was 82%.

The number of people sentenced also changed. The district sentenced 1,037 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,299 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly count was 503 in fiscal year 2023 and 536 in fiscal year 2024.

The Sentencing Commission records show these yearly numbers. They do not show what kinds of events led to them.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 255              | 30.5 months   | 98%            |
| 2017        | 232              | 37 months     | 94%            |
| 2018        | 219              | 37 months     | 93%            |
| 2019        | 331              | 24 months     | 95%            |
| 2020        | 272              | 24 months     | 96%            |
| 2021        | 253              | 28 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 312              | 37 months     | 93%            |
| 2023        | 503              | 40 months     | 77%            |
| 2024        | 536              | 37 months     | 81%            |
| 2025        | 423              | 54.5 months   | 82%            |

## Offense Types in the District

Drug trafficking was the largest group: 824 people (25%), median prison term 60 months. Firearms followed with 577 people (17%) and a median of 36 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 403 people (12%).

The Commission's administration of justice category accounted for 348 people (10%). Only 57% of that group pleaded guilty, and their median prison term was 12 months.

Assault covered 206 people, with a guilty plea share of 76%. Child pornography (images of child exploitation) covered 117 people, with a median term of 72 months.

| Offense type              | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking          | 824              | 25%               | 60 months     | 96%            |
| Firearms                  | 577              | 17%               | 36 months     | 95%            |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement  | 403              | 12%               | 18 months     | 93%            |
| Administration of Justice | 348              | 10%               | 12 months     | 57%            |
| Assault                   | 206              | 6%                | 37 months     | 76%            |
| Burglary/Trespass         | 136              | 4%                | 2 months      | 93%            |
| Robbery                   | 129              | 4%                | 77 months     | 91%            |
| Child Pornography         | 117              | 4%                | 72 months     | 98%            |

## Sentence Length and Probation

Of the 3,336 people, 2,951 (88%) received a prison term, lower than the 91% for all districts. Probation alone was ordered for 213 (6%).

The median term of 36 months equals 3 years. A quarter of prison terms were 66 months or more, and a quarter were 14 months or less. 22 people received a life sentence.

These are terms imposed at sentencing, not time served.

## The Guideline Range in D.C.

Guideline data exists for 3,326 people. Within the range were 1,379 sentences (41%), lower than the 48% share across all districts.

Judges imposed 1,016 below-range sentences (31%) without a government request, and 840 (25%) at the government's request. 91 sentences (3%) were above the range.

## Restitution, Supervision, and Criminal History

Restitution was ordered for 1,225 people (37%), and fines for 248 (7%). Supervised release followed prison for 2,833 people (85%), with a median of 36 months.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 848 people (26%). In criminal history, 56% were in category I, the lowest, and 7% were in category VI, the highest.

## Washington Navy Yard and the Gaps in the Records

The Washington Navy Yard is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial there are tried in military courts and are not counted in these federal numbers.

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Its data does not show acquittals or dismissed cases, so it cannot show how often trials in this district ended in an acquittal.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Columbia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Dist of Columbia") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (3,336). 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)
- [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-washington-navy-yard-vs-district-of-columbia/) (installation comparison)
- [Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-washington-navy-yard-vs-district-of-columbia/) (installation comparison)
- [How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sentences-outside-guideline-range/)
- [Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-mandatory-minimum-sentences/)
- [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.