Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
Federal judges in the District of Massachusetts sentenced 4,847 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Just 29% of those sentences were within the guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 districts. The median prison term was 30 months, against 24 months nationally.
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In brief: Federal judges in the District of Massachusetts sentenced 4,847 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Just 29% of those sentences were within the guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 districts. The median prison term was 30 months, against 24 months nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,847 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.
Where Massachusetts Sentences Fell Against the Guidelines
The Sentencing Commission records where each sentence fell against the guideline range calculated for that case. In Massachusetts, the information exists for 4,841 people.
The below-range sentences split evenly. 1,669 sentences (34%) were below the range at the government's request, and 1,665 (34%) were below the range without a government request. Within-range sentences numbered 1,388, or 29%. Only 119 (2%) were above the range.
A below-range sentence at the government's request is one the prosecution asked for. A below-range sentence without that request is one the judge imposed on other grounds. The data does not record the grounds.
Offense Types in the District
Drug trafficking accounted for 1,753 people, or 36% of the district's sentences, with a median prison term of 42 months. Fraud, theft, or embezzlement came next with 829 (17%), and its median prison term was 18 months.
Immigration cases numbered 534 (11%). Firearms cases numbered 444 (9%). Money laundering, with 287 people (6%), had the same 42-month median as drug trafficking.
Child pornography cases, also called images of child exploitation, numbered 150 (3%), with a median prison term of 81 months. Tax and robbery cases fill out the table.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,753 | 36% | 42 months | 96% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 829 | 17% | 18 months | 93% |
| Immigration | 534 | 11% | 8 months | 99% |
| Firearms | 444 | 9% | 37 months | 95% |
| Money Laundering | 287 | 6% | 42 months | 92% |
| Child Pornography | 150 | 3% | 81 months | 97% |
| Tax | 149 | 3% | 12 months | 95% |
| Robbery | 107 | 2% | 68 months | 95% |
Prison, Probation, and Prison Length
A prison term was imposed on 4,476 of the 4,847 people (92%). That is slightly higher than the 91% for all districts. 244 people (5%) received probation only.
Among those sent to prison, the median was 30 months, or 2.5 years. The top quarter received 60 months or more. The bottom quarter received 12 months or less. 8 people were sentenced to life.
A mandatory minimum prison term, a statutory floor, applied to 1,372 people.
Pleas Compared With Trials
Of the 4,847 people sentenced, 4,601 (95%) pleaded guilty. That rate is lower than the 97% across all districts. 246 people were convicted after a trial.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 28 months. After a trial, the median was 66 months, based on 231 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. People who went to trial may have faced different charges than people who pleaded, and these totals do not separate them by offense.
Among guilty pleas, 60% came with a written plea agreement. Straight pleas, with no agreement, made up 39%.
Changes Across the Decade
The district sentenced 2,006 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,841 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Each federal fiscal year starts October 1.
The fewest people were sentenced in fiscal year 2020, at 387. The most were sentenced in fiscal year 2025, at 558. The yearly median prison term ranged from 24 months to 40 months.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 496 | 29 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 505 | 24 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 529 | 30 months | 95% |
| 2019 | 476 | 24 months | 93% |
| 2020 | 387 | 24 months | 93% |
| 2021 | 422 | 30 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 466 | 33.2 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 477 | 40 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 531 | 36 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 558 | 30 months | 95% |
Other Parts of the Sentence
Supervised release was ordered for 4,197 people (87%), with a median term of 36 months. 13 people, less than 1%, received supervised release for life.
Judges ordered a fine for 351 people (7%) and restitution for 1,092 (23%). On criminal history, 56% were in category I and 9% were in category VI.
What the Data Leaves Out
These figures include only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are missing. Prison terms are the terms imposed, which can differ from time actually served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,847). 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.