> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-texas/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:11:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:11:17.000Z
- Description: Drug trafficking made up 44% of federal sentences in the Northern District of Texas: 6,378 of the 14,591 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The district's median prison term was 60 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. 96% of people sentenced there received a p
- 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 Texas

**In brief:** Drug trafficking made up 44% of federal sentences in the Northern District of Texas: 6,378 of the 14,591 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The district's median prison term was 60 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. 96% of people sentenced there received a prison term, higher than the national 91%.

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 14,591 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/).

## A District Led by Drug Trafficking

The 6,378 drug trafficking cases had a median prison term of 108 months, and 98% of those people pleaded guilty. It was the largest offense type in the district.

Firearms offenses were next, with 2,395 people (16%) and a median of 48 months. Immigration followed with 1,985 (14%) and a median of 20 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement had 1,387 people (10%) and a median of 30 months.

| Offense type              | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| Drug Trafficking          | 6,378            | 44%               | 108 months    | 98%            |
| Firearms                  | 2,395            | 16%               | 48 months     | 98%            |
| Immigration               | 1,985            | 14%               | 20 months     | more than 99%  |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement  | 1,387            | 10%               | 30 months     | 96%            |
| Robbery                   | 493              | 3%                | 96 months     | 96%            |
| Sexual Abuse              | 425              | 3%                | 235 months    | 93%            |
| Child Pornography         | 373              | 3%                | 144 months    | more than 99%  |
| Administration of Justice | 212              | 1%                | 19.1 months   | 99%            |

## Longer Terms for Sex Offenses

Sexual abuse cases numbered 425 (3%), and their median prison term was 235 months, the longest of any offense type in the table.

Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases numbered 373\. The median prison term for that group was 144 months, and more than 99% pleaded guilty. Robbery had 493 people and a median of 96 months.

## Prison Terms and Life Sentences

13,935 people received a prison term. Only 575 (4%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.

The median prison term of 60 months equals 5 years. A quarter of prison terms were 121 months or more, and a quarter were 30 months or less. 41 people received a life sentence.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3,032 people (21%).

## Above-Range Sentences at 6%

The district had guideline information for 14,567 people. 9,100 (62%) received a sentence within the range, higher than the 48% for all districts.

917 people (6%) were sentenced above the range. Below-range sentences went to 2,460 (17%) without a government request and to 2,090 (14%) at the government's request.

## Pleas and Trials

14,275 people pleaded guilty, which is 98%. Nationally the rate was 97%. 316 people were convicted at trial.

The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 151 months after a trial, based on 315 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. Written plea agreements were part of 76% of guilty pleas, and 24% were straight pleas.

## Dyess, Goodfellow, and Sheppard

3 Air Force bases in this site's court-martial data lie within this district: Dyess AFB, Goodfellow AFB, and Sheppard AFB. Courts-martial at those bases take place in military courts. The federal district court does not try them, and they are not part of these figures.

## Supervision, Payments, and Yearly Counts

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 13,353 people (92%), with a median term of 36 months, and 164 (1%) were given supervised release for life. Restitution was ordered for 1,967 (13%), and a fine for 300 (2%). 37% of people were in criminal history category I and 12% in category VI; courts-martial keep no such record.

5,844 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 8,747 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025, a longer span. The yearly median prison term was 60 months in most years, 70 months in 2016, and 72 months in 2023.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1,374            | 70 months     | 98%            |
| 2017        | 1,430            | 60 months     | 97%            |
| 2018        | 1,484            | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2019        | 1,556            | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2020        | 1,380            | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2021        | 1,549            | 60 months     | 98%            |
| 2022        | 1,652            | 63 months     | 98%            |
| 2023        | 1,559            | 72 months     | 98%            |
| 2024        | 1,221            | 63 months     | 98%            |
| 2025        | 1,386            | 60 months     | 98%            |

## Limits of the Sentencing Records

These figures count only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are absent. The terms listed are those imposed, not time served, and the records offer no explanation for the district's offense mix.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (14,591). 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)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Dyess AFB vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of Texas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-dyess-afb-vs-northern-district-of-texas/) (installation comparison)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Goodfellow AFB vs. Federal Court in the Northern District of Texas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-goodfellow-afb-vs-northern-district-of-texas/) (installation comparison)
- [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.