Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025
In the District of Oregon, 2,469 of the 4,307 people with guideline information (57%) were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Only 22% were sentenced within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. Nearly every guilty plea
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › District of Oregon
In brief: In the District of Oregon, 2,469 of the 4,307 people with guideline information (57%) were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Only 22% were sentenced within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. Nearly every guilty plea in Oregon, more than 99%, came with a written plea agreement.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,319 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.
Most Sentences Fell Below the Range at the Government's Request
A guideline range is the span of months the federal sentencing guidelines recommend for a case. In Oregon, the most common result was a sentence below that range because the government asked for one: 2,469 people, or 57%.
Within-range sentences were 950 (22%). Below-range sentences without a government request were 790 (18%). Above-range sentences were 98 (2%).
The records do not explain the government's requests. They show only where each sentence fell against the range.
Written Plea Agreements and Trials
Of the 4,319 people sentenced, 4,241 (98%) pleaded guilty, compared with 97% across all districts. Among those guilty pleas, more than 99% had a written plea agreement. Straight pleas, with no agreement, were less than 1%.
78 people were convicted after a trial. Their median prison term was 120 months, based on 72 people who were sent to prison. After a guilty plea, the median was 30 months.
Trial and plea cases often involve different charges, so the medians describe different groups of cases.
What Offenses Were Sentenced in Oregon?
Drug trafficking accounted for 1,631 people (38%), with a median prison term of 46 months. Firearms accounted for 608 (14%) and immigration for 451 (10%).
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases numbered 407 (9%). Robbery and child pornography (images of child exploitation) each made up 4%, with 194 and 167 people.
Every person in the child pornography group pleaded guilty, and their median prison term was 70 months. Sexual abuse cases (114 people) had a median of 168 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,631 | 38% | 46 months | more than 99% |
| Firearms | 608 | 14% | 33 months | 99% |
| Immigration | 451 | 10% | 4 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 407 | 9% | 21 months | 97% |
| Robbery | 194 | 4% | 50.5 months | 98% |
| Child Pornography | 167 | 4% | 70 months | 100% |
| Money Laundering | 152 | 4% | 33 months | 98% |
| Sexual Abuse | 114 | 3% | 168 months | 91% |
Length of Prison Terms
A prison term was ordered for 3,840 people (89%), lower than the 91% for all districts. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 362 (8%).
The median prison term was 32 months (2.7 years), compared with 24 months nationally. A quarter received 63 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less. 8 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,460 people (34%).
Supervision, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3,760 people (87%), with a median term of 36 months, and 66 (2%) received it for life.
Restitution was ordered for 955 people (22%). A fine was ordered for 55 (1%).
In criminal history, 42% were in category I, the lowest, and 13% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Sentences in Each Fiscal Year
Oregon sentenced 1,756 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,563 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly count was highest in 2024, at 521. The table shows each year's median prison term and guilty plea rate.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 448 | 30 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 412 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 421 | 30 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 475 | 30 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 362 | 24 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 391 | 28 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 378 | 33 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 410 | 33 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 521 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 501 | 37 months | more than 99% |
What These Numbers Cannot Show
No military installation in this district appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in federal district court.
The Sentencing Commission counts only people convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissed cases are missing, and the prison terms are terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Oregon (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oregon") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,319). 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.