Federal Sentences in the District of Vermont, FY2016–2025
In the District of Vermont, 21% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 fell within the guideline range, compared with 48% across all 94 federal districts. The largest group, 46%, received a sentence below the range at the government's request. Of the 1,619 people sentenced, 99% pleaded guilty, an
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In brief: In the District of Vermont, 21% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 fell within the guideline range, compared with 48% across all 94 federal districts. The largest group, 46%, received a sentence below the range at the government's request. Of the 1,619 people sentenced, 99% pleaded guilty, and the median prison term was 18 months, lower than the national median of 24 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,619 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.
Where Vermont Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
The federal Sentencing Guidelines set a recommended range of months for each case, based on the offense and the person's criminal history. A judge may sentence inside that range, below it, or above it. The Sentencing Commission recorded the position for 1,614 of the 1,619 people sentenced in Vermont.
Only 341 sentences (21%) were within the range. Another 747 (46%) were below the range because the government asked for a lower sentence. A further 503 (31%) were below the range without a government request, and 23 (1%) were above it.
Nationally, 48% of sentences were within the range. Vermont's within-range share was lower than that. The records show where each sentence fell, but they do not record why a prosecutor asked for less time or why a judge chose a sentence outside the range.
Which Offenses Brought People to Federal Court in Vermont?
Drug trafficking made up 878 of the 1,619 people sentenced (54%). No other offense type was nearly as common. Firearms offenses followed with 202 (12%), then immigration with 162 (10%) and fraud, theft, or embezzlement with 106 (7%).
Smaller groups included drug possession at 62 (4%) and child pornography (images of child exploitation) at 43 (3%). The table below also lists robbery and money laundering.
Median prison terms differed by offense. Drug trafficking cases had a median of 25 months and firearms cases 18 months. Child pornography cases had a median of 40 months, and robbery and money laundering each had 48 months. The table lists a median of 0 months for immigration and for drug possession.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 878 | 54% | 25 months | more than 99% |
| Firearms | 202 | 12% | 18 months | 98% |
| Immigration | 162 | 10% | 0 months | 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 106 | 7% | 12 months | 98% |
| Drug Possession | 62 | 4% | 0 months | 100% |
| Child Pornography | 43 | 3% | 40 months | 95% |
| Robbery | 31 | 2% | 48 months | 100% |
| Money Laundering | 26 | 2% | 48 months | 96% |
Guilty Pleas and the Few Trials
Of the 1,619 people sentenced, 1,597 (99%) pleaded guilty. Only 22 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, the guilty plea rate was 97%.
Almost every plea came with a written agreement: 98% of guilty pleas had one, and 2% were straight pleas entered without an agreement.
People who pleaded guilty and went to prison had a median prison term of 18 months. The 22 people convicted at trial and sent to prison had a median of 61.5 months. That trial group is small, and those groups were not matched by offense or criminal history, so the difference in medians does not measure the effect of going to trial.
Prison, Probation, and Supervision After Release
A prison term was imposed on 1,511 people (93%). That was higher than the 91% rate for all districts. Another 100 people (6%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 48 months or more. A life sentence was imposed on 1 person. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 227 people (14%).
Supervised release followed prison for 1,336 people (83%), with a median term of 36 months; 2 people received supervised release for life. Courts ordered a fine for 62 people (4%) and restitution for 171 (11%).
Criminal History and the Yearly Counts
In Vermont, 44% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 15% were in category VI, the highest.
The district sentenced 693 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 926 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2025 had 210 people sentenced, the most of any year in the table. Yearly medians ranged from 12 months in 2021 to 24 months in 2019 and 2022.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 188 | 18 months | more than 99% |
| 2017 | 178 | 18 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 161 | 23 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 166 | 24 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 155 | 12.8 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 124 | 12 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 135 | 24 months | more than 99% |
| 2023 | 137 | 18 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 165 | 12.2 months | 98% |
| 2025 | 210 | 20.5 months | 98% |
Limits of These Numbers
The Sentencing Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are not part of these figures.
Prison terms here are the terms imposed by the judge, not the time actually served. The data also does not describe the facts of individual cases, so it cannot show whether any sentence was fitting for the conduct involved.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Vermont (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Vermont") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (1,619). 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.