Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Florida, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Florida, 185 of the 2,768 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were convicted after a trial, and the guilty-plea rate was 93%, lower than the 97% rate for all federal districts. Sexual abuse and child pornography (images of child exploitation) each made up 5% of
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In brief: In the Northern District of Florida, 185 of the 2,768 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were convicted after a trial, and the guilty-plea rate was 93%, lower than the 97% rate for all federal districts. Sexual abuse and child pornography (images of child exploitation) each made up 5% of sentencings. The median prison term was 48 months, compared with 24 months nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,768 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.
Trial Convictions and Guilty Pleas
2,583 people pleaded guilty, or 93% of those sentenced. In all 94 districts, 97% pleaded guilty.
The 185 people convicted after a trial had a median prison term of 120 months, based on 181 of them who were sent to prison. The median after a guilty plea was 42 months. The trial group had a different set of offenses, so this comparison cannot isolate the effect of a trial.
Written plea agreements covered 87% of the guilty pleas. 12% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Sex Offense Cases in the District
Sexual abuse cases accounted for 139 people (5%). Their median prison term was 192 months, the longest in the offense table, and 83% pleaded guilty.
Child pornography cases accounted for 138 people (5%), with a median of 96.5 months and a guilty-plea rate of 90%. Both offense types had lower guilty-plea rates than the district's drug trafficking and immigration cases.
Supervised release for life was ordered for 116 people (4%). The sheet does not break those orders down by offense.
The Full Offense Mix
Drug trafficking was the largest group, with 859 people (31%) and a median prison term of 72 months. Firearms followed with 440 (16%) and a median of 54 months.
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 370 (13%), and immigration for 321 (12%). Money laundering had 86 people, with a median of 62.5 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 859 | 31% | 72 months | 94% |
| Firearms | 440 | 16% | 54 months | 95% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 370 | 13% | 24 months | 91% |
| Immigration | 321 | 12% | 3.9 months | more than 99% |
| Sexual Abuse | 139 | 5% | 192 months | 83% |
| Child Pornography | 138 | 5% | 96.5 months | 90% |
| Other | 137 | 5% | 5 months | 98% |
| Money Laundering | 86 | 3% | 62.5 months | 91% |
Prison, Probation, and Mandatory Minimums
2,446 people (88%) received a prison term. The share for all districts was 91%. 272 (10%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
The median prison term was 48 months (4 years). A quarter of prison terms were 118 months or more, and a quarter were 12 months or less. 5 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,257 people.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Guideline information was recorded for 2,721 people. Within-range sentences made up 44% (1,207), lower than the 48% national share.
Below-range sentences were split between those at the government's request, 23% (624), and those without a government request, 29% (794). Above-range sentences made up 4% (96).
Other Sentence Terms and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,183 people (79%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 538 (19%) and a fine for 229 (8%).
40% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 15% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fiscal Years and Nearby Installations
The district sentenced 1,148 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 1,620 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly median prison term was 28.5 months in 2019 and 71.5 months in 2024.
Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, Pensacola, and Tyndall AFB are in this district. Courts-martial at those installations are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and are not counted here.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 262 | 48 months | 93% |
| 2017 | 277 | 48 months | 91% |
| 2018 | 300 | 42 months | 92% |
| 2019 | 309 | 28.5 months | 94% |
| 2020 | 275 | 36 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 264 | 48 months | 93% |
| 2022 | 266 | 60 months | 92% |
| 2023 | 254 | 60 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 260 | 71.5 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 301 | 40.5 months | 95% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Only convicted and sentenced people are in the Sentencing Commission data, so acquittals and dismissals do not appear. Prison terms are imposed terms, not time served. The data cannot show why trial convictions made up a larger share here than in all districts together.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (2,768). 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)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Eglin AFB vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of Florida (installation comparison)
- 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.