Federal Sentences in the District of the Virgin Islands, FY2016–2025
In the District of the Virgin Islands, 70% of federal sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district is small: 648 people were sentenced in those years. The median prison term was 33 months, and 90% of people plead
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › District of the Virgin Islands
In brief: In the District of the Virgin Islands, 70% of federal sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district is small: 648 people were sentenced in those years. The median prison term was 33 months, and 90% of people pleaded guilty, lower than the 97% for all districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 648 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.
Sentences Inside the Guideline Range
For 645 of the 648 people, the records show how the sentence compared with the guideline range. 453 sentences (70%) were within it.
Below-range sentences were less common here. 97 people (15%) were sentenced below the range without a government request. 76 (12%) were sentenced below it at the government's request. 19 (3%) were sentenced above the range.
The data records where each sentence fell. It does not explain how the judge or the parties reached it.
Criminal History in the Virgin Islands
The Sentencing Commission assigns each person a criminal history category. In this district, 77% of people were in category I, the lowest. 1% were in category VI, the highest.
Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so there is no military figure to set beside these.
Drug Trafficking Leads the Offense Mix
Drug trafficking accounted for 291 of the 648 people, or 45%. Its median prison term was 48 months, and 90% of that group pleaded guilty.
Firearms cases followed with 86 people (13%) and a median of 33 months. Immigration accounted for 76 people (12%), with a median of 6 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 61 people (9%).
Robbery covered only 28 people, but its median prison term was 118 months. Several offense types in the table hold fewer than 30 people, so their medians rest on very few cases.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 291 | 45% | 48 months | 90% |
| Firearms | 86 | 13% | 33 months | 92% |
| Immigration | 76 | 12% | 6 months | 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 61 | 9% | 12 months | 87% |
| Robbery | 28 | 4% | 118 months | 82% |
| Money Laundering | 21 | 3% | 30 months | 100% |
| Administration of Justice | 14 | 2% | 15 months | 71% |
| Prison Offenses | 12 | 2% | 7 months | 92% |
Pleas and Trials
Of the 648 people, 580 pleaded guilty (90%) and 68 were convicted at trial.
For those sent to prison, the median term was 30 months after a guilty plea and 71 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 65 people.
Written plea agreements were part of 94% of guilty pleas, and 6% were straight pleas without an agreement.
Prison Terms, Fines, and Supervision
A prison term was imposed on 580 people (90%), close to the 91% for all districts. Probation alone was the sentence for 46 people (7%). The median prison term of 33 months is 2.8 years, compared with 24 months nationwide.
A quarter of prison terms were 68.5 months or more, and a quarter were 12 months or less. 3 people received a life sentence. A mandatory minimum applied to 198 people (31%).
Fines were ordered for 152 people (23%) and restitution for 92 (14%). Supervised release was ordered for 497 people (77%), with a median term of 36 months.
Small Yearly Counts
The district sentenced 276 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 372 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts ranged from 37 in fiscal year 2020 to 97 in fiscal year 2024.
With so few cases in a year, the yearly median prison term can change a lot from 1 year to the next. It was 12 months in fiscal year 2020 and 57 months in fiscal year 2024. These are small groups, not trends.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 59 | 21 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 74 | 27 months | 92% |
| 2018 | 57 | 41.1 months | 88% |
| 2019 | 86 | 24 months | 85% |
| 2020 | 37 | 12 months | 86% |
| 2021 | 56 | 27 months | 89% |
| 2022 | 56 | 30 months | 89% |
| 2023 | 67 | 41 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 97 | 57 months | 92% |
| 2025 | 59 | 41 months | 85% |
What the Sentencing Data Leaves Out
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included, and the prison terms are those imposed rather than time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of the Virgin Islands (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Virgin Islands") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (648). 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.