Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
Of the 6,441 people sentenced in the District of New Jersey in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84% received a prison term, lower than the 91% rate across all federal districts. Another 10% received probation only. For those sent to prison, the median term was 37 months (3.1 years), higher than the nation
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In brief: Of the 6,441 people sentenced in the District of New Jersey in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84% received a prison term, lower than the 91% rate across all federal districts. Another 10% received probation only. For those sent to prison, the median term was 37 months (3.1 years), higher than the national median of 24 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 6,441 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 Compared With Probation-Only Sentences
A prison term was imposed on 5,437 of the 6,441 people sentenced (84%). Probation alone, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 670 people (10%).
The national prison rate for the same fiscal years was 91%. New Jersey sent a smaller share of sentenced people to prison than that.
Among people who did receive prison, the median term was 37 months. A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 17 months or less. The records list 18 life sentences.
Fraud and Financial Cases in the Offense Mix
Drug trafficking was the largest offense type, with 2,118 people (33%). Fraud, theft, or embezzlement was second at 1,242 (19%), followed by firearms at 1,112 (17%).
Several financial offense types appear in the table. Tax cases numbered 199 (3%), money laundering 181 (3%), and bribery or corruption 156 (2%). Immigration accounted for 401 (6%) and robbery for 209 (3%).
The median prison term for fraud, theft, or embezzlement was 21 months. Tax cases had a median of 12 months and bribery or corruption 18 months. Robbery had the longest median in the table, 96 months, followed by firearms at 50 months and drug trafficking at 46 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 2,118 | 33% | 46 months | 98% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 1,242 | 19% | 21 months | 96% |
| Firearms | 1,112 | 17% | 50 months | 97% |
| Immigration | 401 | 6% | 11 months | more than 99% |
| Robbery | 209 | 3% | 96 months | 96% |
| Tax | 199 | 3% | 12 months | 93% |
| Money Laundering | 181 | 3% | 33 months | 96% |
| Bribery/Corruption | 156 | 2% | 18 months | 95% |
Fines and Restitution
Restitution, an order to repay victims for their losses, was part of the sentence for 1,681 people (26%). A fine was ordered for 648 people (10%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 5,181 people (80%). The median supervised release term was 36 months. Supervised release for life was ordered for 48 people, less than 1%.
How Did New Jersey Sentences Compare With the Guidelines?
The Commission recorded where 6,408 sentences fell against the guideline range, which is the span of months the federal Sentencing Guidelines recommend based on the offense and criminal history.
Sentences below the range at the government's request were the most common result, at 40% (2,536). Within-range sentences made up 37% (2,386). Another 22% (1,406) were below the range without a government request, and 1% (80) were above it.
Across all districts, 48% of sentences were within the range. New Jersey's within-range share was lower. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,504 people (23%).
Pleas, Trials, and Criminal History
Guilty pleas made up 6,224 of the 6,441 convictions (97%), the same as the national rate. The remaining 217 people were convicted after a trial. Of the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 37 months. After a trial it was 96 months, based on 213 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The offenses and records of the trial group may differ from the plea group, and the data does not control for that.
Criminal history category I, the lowest, covered 49% of those sentenced. Category VI, the highest, covered 15%.
Yearly Counts and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
New Jersey sentenced 2,350 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 4,091 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The busiest year in the table was fiscal year 2024, with 830 people. Yearly medians ranged from 33 months in 2020 and 2021 to 48.4 months in 2017.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst sits within the district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial there are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and they are not part of these counts.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 669 | 41.7 months | 94% |
| 2017 | 594 | 48.4 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 467 | 41 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 620 | 37 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 595 | 33 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 629 | 33 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 641 | 36 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 723 | 37 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 830 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 673 | 37 months | 96% |
Limits of the Sentencing Records
The Sentencing Commission data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Anyone acquitted, or whose case was dismissed, does not appear. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not the time served, and the records do not explain why a judge or prosecutor chose a particular sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (6,441). 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.