Federal Sentences in the District of Puerto Rico, FY2016–2025
People sent to prison by the federal court in the District of Puerto Rico received a median prison term of 60 months (5 years) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4,978 of the 9,794 people sentenced in Puerto
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In brief: People sent to prison by the federal court in the District of Puerto Rico received a median prison term of 60 months (5 years) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4,978 of the 9,794 people sentenced in Puerto Rico.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 9,794 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.
Longer Prison Terms Than the National Median
The district sentenced 9,794 people over the 10 fiscal years. Of those, 8,778 (90%) received a prison term, close to the 91% for all districts. 941 (10%) received probation only.
Among people sent to prison, the median was 60 months. A quarter received 87 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. 20 people received a life sentence.
The lower end of the range matters here. In Puerto Rico, the bottom quarter of prison terms reached up to 24 months, which equals the median for all districts.
Mandatory Minimums Applied Often
A mandatory minimum is a prison floor set by statute. Judges generally cannot sentence below it. In Puerto Rico, a mandatory minimum applied to 4,978 people.
The records show that a minimum applied. They do not show whether it set the final term in each case.
Drug Trafficking and Firearms Cases
Drug trafficking accounted for 4,670 people, or 48% of the district's sentences. The median prison term for drug trafficking was 70 months, and 99% pleaded guilty.
Firearms cases were next, with 1,595 people (16%) and a median of 33 months. Immigration cases numbered 1,155 (12%), with a median of 7.8 months. Fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for 730 people (7%).
Robbery had 479 people (5%) and a median term of 101 months. Money laundering had 272 (3%).
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 4,670 | 48% | 70 months | 99% |
| Firearms | 1,595 | 16% | 33 months | 98% |
| Immigration | 1,155 | 12% | 7.8 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 730 | 7% | 15 months | 97% |
| Robbery | 479 | 5% | 101 months | 97% |
| Money Laundering | 272 | 3% | 36 months | 98% |
| Sexual Abuse | 168 | 2% | 151 months | 92% |
| Child Pornography | 164 | 2% | 60 months | 99% |
More Sentences Within the Guideline Range
Guideline information is available for 9,786 people. Of those, 5,299 (54%) were sentenced within the range. That share is higher than the 48% for all districts.
Below-range sentences at the government's request totaled 2,290 (23%). Below-range sentences without a government request totaled 1,493 (15%). Sentences above the range numbered 704, or 7%.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
Guilty pleas accounted for 9,607 of the 9,794 sentences, or 98%. That is higher than the 97% rate for all districts. 187 people were convicted after a trial.
The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The trial median is based on 181 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
82% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. 18% were straight pleas without one.
Criminal History, Supervision, and Payments
In criminal history, 69% of people sentenced were in category I, the lowest category. 1% were in category VI, the highest.
Supervised release followed prison for 8,610 people (88%). The median supervised release term was 48 months, and 4 people (less than 1%) received it for life. Fines were ordered for 145 people (1%) and restitution for 990 (10%).
Year-by-Year Counts
The district sentenced 3,991 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 5,803 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly median prison term was 60 months or more in most years, and the table shows each year.
These records cover only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are absent, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,086 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 980 | 43.6 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 760 | 46 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 1,165 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 922 | 57 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 884 | 60 months | 99% |
| 2022 | 815 | 60 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 1,090 | 64 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 1,120 | 70 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 972 | 60 months | more than 99% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Puerto Rico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (9,794). 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.