Federal Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
The Western District of Michigan sentenced 3,034 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison received a median prison term of 51 months (4.2 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. The district also ordered a fine for 33% of the people it sentenced.
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In brief: The Western District of Michigan sentenced 3,034 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison received a median prison term of 51 months (4.2 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. The district also ordered a fine for 33% of the people it sentenced.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,034 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.
Prison Terms in the District
A prison term was imposed on 2,763 people, which is 91% of the total and the same share as all districts. 202 (7%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
A median shows only the middle term. A quarter of people sent to prison here received 115 months or more. A quarter received 18 months or less. 9 people received a life sentence.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 880 people. The figures in this post are terms imposed at sentencing, not time served.
Fines and Restitution
A fine was ordered for 1,005 people (33%). Restitution was ordered for 737 (24%).
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2,518 people (83%). Its median length was 36 months, and 18 people (less than 1%) received supervised release for life.
Which Offenses Made Up the Caseload?
Drug Trafficking was the largest offense type with 920 people (30%), and its median prison term was 90 months. Firearms had 524 (17%), Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement 498 (16%), and Immigration 450 (15%).
Sexual Abuse cases numbered 141 (5%), with a median prison term of 265 months. Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases numbered 82 (3%) and had a median of 135 months. The table adds Robbery and Assault.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 920 | 30% | 90 months | 94% |
| Firearms | 524 | 17% | 57 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 498 | 16% | 24 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 450 | 15% | 6 months | 100% |
| Sexual Abuse | 141 | 5% | 265 months | 91% |
| Child Pornography | 82 | 3% | 135 months | 96% |
| Robbery | 78 | 3% | 79 months | 94% |
| Assault | 60 | 2% | 37 months | 93% |
Trials, Pleas, and the Guideline Range
2,901 people (96%) pleaded guilty, slightly lower than the 97% rate for all districts. 133 were convicted after a trial. 70% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 29% were straight pleas with no agreement.
People who pleaded guilty had a median prison term of 48 months. People convicted after a trial had a median of 150 months, based on 131 who were sent to prison. Tried cases may involve different charges, so the medians do not show the effect of a trial.
Against the advisory guideline range, 1,641 sentences (54%) were within the range, compared with 48% for all districts. 534 (18%) were below the range at the government's request, 748 (25%) were below it without one, and 110 (4%) were above it. 3,033 records had this information.
Prior Criminal Records
The Commission assigns each person a criminal history category, from category I (the lowest) to category VI (the highest). In this district, 37% were in category I and 12% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this has no military equivalent.
A Rising Yearly Median
The yearly table shows a median prison term of 33 months in 2016 and 75 months in 2023. In 2024 and 2025 it was 63 months. Over the same years, the number sentenced each year was lower, at 226 in 2024 and 242 in 2025, than in 2019, when it was 392.
Across the full periods, 1,450 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 1,584 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The records do not show why the median or the yearly counts changed.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 330 | 33 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 369 | 30 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 359 | 41 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 392 | 36 months | 95% |
| 2020 | 320 | 54 months | 95% |
| 2021 | 291 | 71.5 months | 94% |
| 2022 | 265 | 70 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 240 | 75 months | 95% |
| 2024 | 226 | 63 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 242 | 63 months | 94% |
Gaps in the Data
Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission's data, which counts only people convicted and sentenced. The data uses federal fiscal years, beginning October 1.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (3,034). 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.