Federal Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
Drug trafficking made up 49% of federal sentencings in the Western District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,069 of 2,185 people. The district's median prison term was 72 months (6 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. Fines were ordered for 700 people (32%).
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In brief: Drug trafficking made up 49% of federal sentencings in the Western District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 1,069 of 2,185 people. The district's median prison term was 72 months (6 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. Fines were ordered for 700 people (32%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 2,185 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.
The Largest Offense Type
Drug trafficking accounted for 1,069 people (49%), and firearms, the next largest, for 287 (13%).
The median prison term for drug trafficking was 96 months. More than 99% of the people sentenced for it pleaded guilty.
Other Offense Types
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 207 people (9%), with a median prison term of 24 months. Immigration accounted for 159 (7%), with a median of 10 months.
Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases numbered 113 (5%), with a median of 83 months. Sexual abuse cases numbered 91 (4%), with a median of 234 months, the longest in the table.
Money laundering had 48 people and a median of 108 months. Its guilty plea rate, 83%, was the lowest of the offense types listed.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,069 | 49% | 96 months | more than 99% |
| Firearms | 287 | 13% | 57 months | 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 207 | 9% | 24 months | 99% |
| Immigration | 159 | 7% | 10 months | 100% |
| Child Pornography | 113 | 5% | 83 months | 96% |
| Sexual Abuse | 91 | 4% | 234 months | 97% |
| Money Laundering | 48 | 2% | 108 months | 83% |
| Other | 38 | 2% | 0.7 months | 100% |
How Long Were the Prison Terms?
2,031 of the 2,185 people (93%) received a prison term, compared with 91% across all districts. 93 (4%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 72 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 120 months or more, and a quarter received 34 months or less. 8 received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 642 people. All of these figures are sentences imposed, not time actually served.
Fines and Other Financial Orders
A fine was ordered for 700 people (32%). Restitution, which repays victims, was ordered for 356 (16%). The data records the order, not whether it was paid.
After prison, 1,846 people (84%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 36 months, and 22 (1%) received supervised release for life.
Few Trials, Many Plea Agreements
2,151 of the 2,185 people (98%) pleaded guilty, slightly higher than the 97% figure for all districts. 34 people were convicted after a trial.
97% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 2% were straight pleas.
All 34 people convicted at trial were sent to prison, with a median of 122 months. The median after a guilty plea was 70 months. Because the 34 trial cases involved different charges, the gap does not show a trial's own effect on the sentence.
The Guideline Range and Criminal History
Of 2,183 people with guideline information, 947 (43%) received a sentence within the recommended range. Nationally, the figure was 48%.
352 (16%) were below the range at the government's request, and 772 (35%) were below it without a request. 112 (5%) were above the range.
37% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 23% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Changes From 2016 to 2025
986 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 1,199 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. These periods cover different numbers of years.
The yearly median prison term was 52 months in 2016, 94 months in 2023, 97 months in 2024, and 80 months in 2025. The records show these changes but not their causes.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 253 | 52 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 237 | 57 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 238 | 63 months | 99% |
| 2019 | 258 | 68 months | more than 99% |
| 2020 | 247 | 63 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 185 | 78 months | more than 99% |
| 2022 | 219 | 78 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 177 | 94 months | 99% |
| 2024 | 207 | 97 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 164 | 80 months | 99% |
Outside the Scope of This Data
Acquittals and dismissed cases are not part of the Commission data, which counts only convicted and sentenced people. The data also holds nothing about the facts of individual cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (2,185). 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.