Federal Sentences in the Southern District of New York, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of New York, 55% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were below the guideline range without a request from the government. Only 22% were within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 12,035 people, with a median prison term of
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In brief: In the Southern District of New York, 55% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were below the guideline range without a request from the government. Only 22% were within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 12,035 people, with a median prison term of 33 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 12,035 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.
Most Sentences Were Below the Guideline Range
Guideline information is available for 12,008 people in this district. For 6,628 of them (55%), the judge imposed a sentence below the range that the government had not requested.
Within-range sentences numbered 2,694, or 22%. Sentences below the range at the government's request numbered 2,541 (21%). 145 sentences (1%) were above the range.
The data shows where each sentence fell compared with the range. It does not include the judge's stated reasons.
Size of the District's Caseload
The 12,035 people sentenced here came from a wide set of offense types. Drug trafficking accounted for 4,376 (36%), with a median prison term of 48 months. Fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for 2,530 (21%), with a median of 15 months.
Firearms had 1,179 people (10%), robbery 709 (6%), money laundering 550 (5%), and immigration 456 (4%).
Murder had 387 people (3%) and a median prison term of 180 months. Assault had 354 (3%) and a median of 84 months. 84% of people sentenced for murder pleaded guilty, the lowest share in the table.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 4,376 | 36% | 48 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 2,530 | 21% | 15 months | 94% |
| Firearms | 1,179 | 10% | 40 months | 97% |
| Robbery | 709 | 6% | 53.1 months | 98% |
| Money Laundering | 550 | 5% | 18 months | 89% |
| Immigration | 456 | 4% | 7 months | 99% |
| Murder | 387 | 3% | 180 months | 84% |
| Assault | 354 | 3% | 84 months | 93% |
Prison and Probation
11,358 people (94%) received a prison term, higher than the 91% for all districts. 484 (4%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 33 months, or 2.8 years, compared with 24 months nationally. A quarter received 66 months or more. A quarter received 9.8 months or less. 48 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4,053 people (34%).
What Happened at Trial?
572 people were convicted after a trial. The other 11,463 (95%) pleaded guilty, below the 97% guilty plea rate for all districts.
People convicted at trial had a median prison term of 96 months, based on 567 who were sent to prison. People who pleaded guilty had a median of 30 months. The records do not adjust for differences in the charges between trial cases and plea cases.
Of the guilty pleas, 76% included a written plea agreement and 24% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Restitution, Fines, and Supervision
Restitution was ordered for 3,193 people (27%). Fines were ordered for 713 (6%).
10,647 people (88%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. 52 (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.
In criminal history, 54% were in category I and 8% were in category VI.
Fiscal Year Counts
The district sentenced 5,774 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 6,261 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly totals ranged from 899 in fiscal year 2025 to 1,515 in fiscal year 2019.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,350 | 30 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 1,463 | 33 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 1,446 | 30 months | 95% |
| 2019 | 1,515 | 33 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 926 | 27 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 943 | 30 months | 96% |
| 2022 | 1,297 | 36 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 1,148 | 36 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 1,048 | 38 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 899 | 38 months | 94% |
What These Numbers Cannot Show
Acquittals and dismissals are not in Sentencing Commission data, which covers only people convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are those imposed, and actual time served can be different.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New York South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (12,035). 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.