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# Federal Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-rhode-island/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:03.000Z
- Description: The District of Rhode Island sentenced 1,015 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The most common result, 44%, was a sentence below the guideline range that the government did not request, and only 22% of sentences were within the range. Across all 94 federal districts, 48% were within the range.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › District of Rhode Island

**In brief:** The District of Rhode Island sentenced 1,015 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The most common result, 44%, was a sentence below the guideline range that the government did not request, and only 22% of sentences were within the range. Across all 94 federal districts, 48% were within the range.

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,015 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Judges Often Went Below the Range Without a Government Request

Guideline information exists for 1,014 of the 1,015 people sentenced. Of those, 445 (44%) received a sentence below the range without a request from the government.

Another 330 (33%) were below the range at the government's request. Within-range sentences numbered 228 (22%), and 11 (1%) were above the range.

The data records the position of each sentence. It does not record the reasons a judge gave for going below the range.

## A Larger Share of Fraud Cases and Restitution Orders

Fraud, theft, or embezzlement made up 24% of Rhode Island's sentences, with 242 people. Drug trafficking was still the largest group, at 365 people (36%).

Restitution was ordered for 316 people, or 31%. Fines were less common: 49 people (5%).

Firearms accounted for 87 people (9%). Immigration and child pornography were close in size, with 73 (7%) and 67 (7%). Child pornography, or images of child exploitation, carried a median prison term of 60 months. Sexual abuse cases numbered 51 (5%), with a median of 120 months.

| Offense type             | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking         | 365              | 36%               | 40 months     | more than 99%  |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 242              | 24%               | 24 months     | more than 99%  |
| Firearms                 | 87               | 9%                | 36 months     | 98%            |
| Immigration              | 73               | 7%                | 3.3 months    | 97%            |
| Child Pornography        | 67               | 7%                | 60 months     | 99%            |
| Sexual Abuse             | 51               | 5%                | 120 months    | 98%            |
| Tax                      | 23               | 2%                | 28.5 months   | 100%           |
| Robbery                  | 22               | 2%                | 48 months     | 100%           |

## Prison and Probation

A prison term was imposed on 875 of the 1,015 people (86%), lower than the 91% for all districts. Probation only was the sentence for 105 people (10%).

For people sent to prison, the median term was 33 months, or 2.8 years. That is longer than the 24-month median for all districts. A quarter received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 8.9 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 347 people (34%).

## How Many Cases Went to Trial?

Very few. 999 of the 1,015 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 16 were convicted after a trial.

The median prison term was 33 months after a guilty plea and 36 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on just 15 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison, so it is not a stable measure.

Most pleas were negotiated in writing. 83% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Supervised Release and Criminal History

Supervised release was ordered for 809 people (80%), with a median term of 36 months. 18 people (2%) received supervised release for life.

53% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest category. 12% were in category VI, the highest.

## The Yearly Counts

Rhode Island sentenced 417 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 598 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The largest yearly count was 135, in fiscal year 2019\. With yearly counts that small, the median for a single year can move with a few cases.

The table shows each year from fiscal year 2016 through fiscal year 2025.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 90               | 36 months     | 100%           |
| 2017        | 99               | 24 months     | 95%            |
| 2018        | 93               | 36 months     | 99%            |
| 2019        | 135              | 36 months     | 99%            |
| 2020        | 100              | 24.1 months   | 98%            |
| 2021        | 75               | 42 months     | 100%           |
| 2022        | 109              | 35 months     | 97%            |
| 2023        | 106              | 33 months     | 100%           |
| 2024        | 109              | 24 months     | 100%           |
| 2025        | 99               | 33 months     | 97%            |

## Limits

Sentencing Commission data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are outside it. The prison terms are the terms imposed, not the time people served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Rhode Island (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Rhode Island") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (1,015). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sentences-outside-guideline-range/)
- [Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-mandatory-minimum-sentences/)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.