Federal Sentences in the District of Maine, FY2016–2025
In the District of Maine, 1,628 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 36 months. That is longer than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts together. The largest group of Maine sentences, 41%, fell below the guideline range at t
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In brief: In the District of Maine, 1,628 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 36 months. That is longer than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts together. The largest group of Maine sentences, 41%, fell below the guideline range at the government's request.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,628 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.
Sentences Below the Range at the Prosecutor's Request
Federal judges start from a guideline range calculated for each case. In Maine, 668 sentences (41%) were below that range because the government asked for a lower sentence. Another 426 (26%) were below the range without a government request.
Only 494 sentences (30%) were within the range. Across all districts, 48% were within the range. Above-range sentences were uncommon in Maine: 38, or 2%.
These counts are based on the 1,626 people whose records include the guideline information. The records show where each sentence fell, not the reasons the parties gave in court.
How Long Were Maine Prison Terms?
Of the 1,628 people sentenced, 1,425 (88%) received a prison term. That share is lower than the 91% for all districts. Another 198 (12%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
For people sent to prison, the median term was 36 months, or 3 years. A quarter of them received 78 months or more. A quarter received 12 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence.
These are the terms judges imposed. The Sentencing Commission data does not show how much time anyone actually served.
Drug Trafficking Leads the Caseload
Drug trafficking was the most common offense type, with 718 people sentenced (44%). Its median prison term was 48 months. Firearms cases followed with 249 people (15%) and fraud, theft, or embezzlement with 214 (13%).
Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases made up 99 sentences, or 6%, with a median prison term of 96 months. Immigration accounted for 89 people (5%), and robbery for 62 (4%).
The table lists the 8 largest offense types, with the median prison term and guilty plea share for each. Sexual abuse cases, 42 in all, had a median term of 240 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 718 | 44% | 48 months | 97% |
| Firearms | 249 | 15% | 30 months | 96% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 214 | 13% | 12 months | 97% |
| Child Pornography | 99 | 6% | 96 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 89 | 5% | 3.2 months | 96% |
| Robbery | 62 | 4% | 84 months | 94% |
| Sexual Abuse | 42 | 3% | 240 months | 90% |
| Stalking/Harassing | 23 | 1% | 18 months | 87% |
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Almost every conviction in Maine came from a guilty plea: 1,562 of 1,628, or 96%. The remaining 66 people were convicted after a trial. The all-district guilty plea rate was 97%.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 36 months. After a trial, it was 95 months. The trial figure is based on 61 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison, so it rests on a small group.
Among the guilty pleas, 61% had a written plea agreement. The other 39% were straight pleas, entered with no agreement.
Mandatory Minimums, Supervision, and Money Penalties
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 391 people, or 24%. A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute that the judge generally cannot go below.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1,329 people (82%), with a median term of 36 months. 24 people (1%) received supervised release for life. Fines were ordered for 123 people (8%) and restitution for 375 (23%).
On criminal history, 44% were in category I, the lowest, and 10% were in category VI, the highest.
Year by Year
The district sentenced 739 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 889 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table shows the count, median prison term, and guilty plea share for each fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30.
Yearly counts in a district this size are modest, so the median can move from one year to the next with a small number of cases.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 202 | 44 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 197 | 36 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 178 | 32.5 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 162 | 30 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 118 | 30 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 199 | 41 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 180 | 36 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 116 | 41.5 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 132 | 36 months | 92% |
| 2025 | 144 | 37 months | 96% |
Limits of These Records
The Sentencing Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that ended in an acquittal or a dismissal do not appear. The figures describe outcomes, not why judges or prosecutors made the choices they did.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maine (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maine") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (1,628). 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)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- 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.