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# Federal Sentences in the Northern District of California, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-california/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:30.000Z
- Description: Just 24% of the federal sentences imposed in the Northern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the guideline range, compared with 48% across all 94 districts. The district sentenced 4,531 people, and 86% received a prison term, a lower share than the 91% national figure. T
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

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

**In brief:** Just 24% of the federal sentences imposed in the Northern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the guideline range, compared with 48% across all 94 districts. The district sentenced 4,531 people, and 86% received a prison term, a lower share than the 91% national figure. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years).

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 4,531 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/).

## Few Sentences Within the Range

For every federal case, the Sentencing Guidelines produce a recommended range. In this district, 1,102 of the 4,518 sentences with guideline information were inside that range.

Sentences below the range without a government request were the largest group, at 1,727 (38%). Sentences below the range at the government's request numbered 1,623 (36%). Only 66 (1%) were above the range.

The records give the position of each sentence. They do not give the reasons for it.

## Prison, Probation, and Term Lengths

Of the 4,531 people, 3,915 went to prison. Another 418 (9%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.

The median prison term was 30 months, longer than the national median of 24 months. A quarter of the prison terms were 60 months or more, and a quarter were 10 months or less. 15 people received a life sentence.

These are the terms judges imposed. Time actually served is not in the data.

## What Offenses Were Sentenced Here?

Drug trafficking cases totaled 1,502 (33%), with a median prison term of 36 months. Firearms cases totaled 844 (19%), with a 32-month median.

Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 727 people (16%) and had an 18-month median. Immigration accounted for 238 (5%), with a 15-month median.

Child pornography (images of child exploitation) and robbery each had a 60-month median, with 156 and 136 people. The table also lists 108 murder cases, with a 240-month median and a guilty plea share of 84%.

| Offense type             | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking         | 1,502            | 33%               | 36 months     | 98%            |
| Firearms                 | 844              | 19%               | 32 months     | 97%            |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 727              | 16%               | 18 months     | 95%            |
| Immigration              | 238              | 5%                | 15 months     | 97%            |
| Child Pornography        | 156              | 3%                | 60 months     | 98%            |
| Robbery                  | 136              | 3%                | 60 months     | 91%            |
| Money Laundering         | 121              | 3%                | 33.5 months   | 90%            |
| Murder                   | 108              | 2%                | 240 months    | 84%            |

## Financial Penalties and Criminal History

A fine was ordered for 444 people (10%). Restitution was ordered for 1,185 (26%).

45% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest. 13% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field to compare.

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3,778 people (83%), with a median term of 36 months; 12 received it for life.

## Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums

4,314 people (95%) pleaded guilty, lower than the 97% national share. 217 were convicted at trial. Of the guilty pleas, 89% had a written plea agreement and 11% were straight pleas.

The median prison term was 30 months after a guilty plea and 63 months after a trial, based on 204 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. Trial cases may involve different charges from plea cases.

A mandatory minimum prison term, a statutory floor, applied to 1,068 people (24%).

## Fiscal Year Changes

The district sentenced 2,001 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,530 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly median prison term was 36 months in each fiscal year from 2016 to 2019\. It was 12 months in fiscal year 2024 and 21 months in fiscal year 2025\. The data shows these yearly medians but not the reasons they changed.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 464              | 36 months     | 94%            |
| 2017        | 517              | 36 months     | 93%            |
| 2018        | 535              | 36 months     | 95%            |
| 2019        | 485              | 36 months     | 96%            |
| 2020        | 557              | 24 months     | 96%            |
| 2021        | 369              | 30 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 377              | 35 months     | 96%            |
| 2023        | 386              | 30 months     | 95%            |
| 2024        | 477              | 12 months     | 95%            |
| 2025        | 364              | 21 months     | 96%            |

## Where the Data Stops

Acquittals and dismissals are not part of the Sentencing Commission records, which cover only people convicted and sentenced. The numbers also cannot show how individual judges or prosecutors reached their decisions.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,531). 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.