Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
Immigration cases made up 77% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. That mix gives the district a median prison term of 3.5 months, lower than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts. Almost everyone sentenced, 99%, received some prison t
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In brief: Immigration cases made up 77% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. That mix gives the district a median prison term of 3.5 months, lower than the 24-month median for all 94 federal districts. Almost everyone sentenced, 99%, received some prison time.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 29,766 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.
An Immigration-Heavy District
The Sentencing Commission counted 23,014 immigration sentences in New Mexico over the 10 fiscal years. The median prison term for those cases was 2.2 months, and more than 99% of them were resolved by a guilty plea.
Drug trafficking was next, with 3,351 people (11%) and a median term of 33 months. Firearms cases followed with 1,152 people (4%) and a median of 37 months.
Smaller groups included assault (345 people), fraud, theft, and embezzlement (336), and robbery (288). Sexual abuse cases numbered 243, with a median prison term of 132 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 23,014 | 77% | 2.2 months | more than 99% |
| Drug Trafficking | 3,351 | 11% | 33 months | 99% |
| Firearms | 1,152 | 4% | 37 months | 99% |
| Assault | 345 | 1% | 37 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 336 | 1% | 6.9 months | 99% |
| Robbery | 288 | less than 1% | 70 months | 96% |
| Sexual Abuse | 243 | less than 1% | 132 months | 94% |
| Administration of Justice | 183 | less than 1% | 11 months | 99% |
Short Terms, Nearly Always Prison
Of the 29,766 people, 29,326 were sent to prison. Only 371 (1%) received probation alone. Across all districts, 91% were sent to prison.
The median term in New Mexico was 3.5 months. At the top, a quarter of prison terms were 12 months or more. At the bottom, a quarter were 1.3 months or less. 25 people were sentenced to life.
The district-wide median counts the immigration terms together with every other offense type. For the other offense types, the table gives a separate median for each. All of these are terms imposed, not time served.
How Many Pleaded Guilty, and How?
Guilty pleas resolved 29,626 cases, which is more than 99%. Only 140 people were convicted at trial.
In New Mexico, 55% of guilty pleas came with a written plea agreement. The other 45% were straight pleas, entered without any agreement.
People sent to prison after a guilty plea had a median term of 3.4 months. After a trial, the median was 139.5 months, based on 138 people. The trial group is small and contains a different set of offenses than the plea group.
Position Against the Guideline Range
For 29,716 people, the records show where the sentence fell against the guideline range. 17,597 sentences (59%) were within the range, compared with 48% across all districts.
Below-range sentences requested by the government numbered 9,114 (31%). Below-range sentences without a government request numbered 2,725 (9%). Sentences above the range were less than 1%, 280 in all.
After Prison
Supervised release was ordered for 12,769 people, or 43%. The median term of supervision was 36 months, and 47 people received supervised release for life.
Fines (287 people) and restitution (1,055 people, 4%) were uncommon. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,191 people, or 7%.
In criminal history, 58% were in category I, the lowest, and 3% were in category VI, the highest.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 16,683 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 13,083 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly count was 4,988 in fiscal year 2016 and 1,415 in fiscal year 2021.
The yearly median prison term was 1.7 months in fiscal year 2016 and 15 months in fiscal year 2021, the year with the fewest people sentenced. In fiscal year 2025 the median was 4 months. The records do not show why the counts or the medians changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4,988 | 1.7 months | more than 99% |
| 2017 | 3,794 | 2.2 months | more than 99% |
| 2018 | 3,950 | 1.5 months | more than 99% |
| 2019 | 3,951 | 1.8 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 3,192 | 2.2 months | more than 99% |
| 2021 | 1,415 | 15 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 2,075 | 10 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 2,006 | 12 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 1,696 | 10.1 months | 99% |
| 2025 | 2,699 | 4 months | more than 99% |
Bases in New Mexico and the Limits of the Data
Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB are in this district and appear in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial there are tried in military courts, not in the federal district court.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not in these figures.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (29,766). 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)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Cannon AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of New Mexico (installation comparison)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Holloman AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of New Mexico (installation comparison)
- 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.