Federal Sentences in the Western District of Missouri, FY2016–2025
Federal judges in the Western District of Missouri sentenced 7,571 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 72 months (6 years), longer than the 24-month median for all 94 districts, and 21 people received a life sentence. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3,244 of th
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In brief: Federal judges in the Western District of Missouri sentenced 7,571 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 72 months (6 years), longer than the 24-month median for all 94 districts, and 21 people received a life sentence. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3,244 of them (43%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 7,571 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.
Median Prison Term of 6 Years
Prison was ordered for 6,860 people, or 91%, which matches the all-district share. Another 641 (8%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
For people sent to prison, the median was 72 months. A quarter of the terms were 120 months or longer. A quarter were 36 months or shorter. The 21 life sentences are part of the 6,860 prison terms.
These are the terms imposed at sentencing. The data does not record time actually served.
Which Offenses Were Most Common?
Drug trafficking cases totaled 2,856 (38%), with a median prison term of 96 months. Firearms cases totaled 2,161 (29%), with a 55-month median.
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 575 people (8%), and their median was 24 months. Child pornography (images of child exploitation) accounted for 423 (6%), with a median of 105 months.
Money laundering was the fifth-largest offense type, with 377 people (5%) and a 100-month median. Sexual abuse cases numbered 245 (3%) and had a 216-month median.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 2,856 | 38% | 96 months | 98% |
| Firearms | 2,161 | 29% | 55 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 575 | 8% | 24 months | 98% |
| Child Pornography | 423 | 6% | 105 months | 99% |
| Money Laundering | 377 | 5% | 100 months | 96% |
| Sexual Abuse | 245 | 3% | 216 months | 96% |
| Robbery | 199 | 3% | 96 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 184 | 2% | 12 months | 100% |
Military Installations in the District
Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman AFB, both in Missouri, are located in this district and appear in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The federal numbers on this page describe civilian federal prosecutions across the whole district. They do not describe cases from either installation.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Of the 7,554 sentences with guideline information, 2,850 (38%) were within the range. Nationally, 48% were within the range.
Below-range sentences without a government request numbered 2,203 (29%). Below-range sentences at the government's request numbered 1,947 (26%). Above the range were 554 sentences, or 7%.
The 3,244 mandatory minimum cases are those where a statute set a floor on the prison term. The judge generally cannot go below that floor.
Pleas and Trials
7,383 people pleaded guilty (98%), and 188 were convicted at trial. The all-district guilty plea share was 97%.
Most guilty pleas, 79%, came with a written plea agreement. The other 21% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a trial was 180 months, based on 185 people sent to prison. After a guilty plea, the median was 72 months.
Supervision, Money Penalties, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 6,837 people (90%), with a 36-month median term. 174 people (2%) received supervised release for life.
Restitution was ordered for 1,239 people (16%) and fines for 118 (2%). In criminal history, 31% were in category I, the lowest, and 23% were in category VI, the highest.
Year-by-Year Figures
There were 3,190 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 4,381 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly median prison term was 60 months in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 and 84 months in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 835 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 804 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2018 | 779 | 66 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 772 | 70 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 697 | 70 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 582 | 72 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 810 | 72 months | 98% |
| 2023 | 841 | 84 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 783 | 84 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 668 | 78 months | 97% |
What Is Not Counted
Acquittals and dismissals are outside this data, which covers only convicted and sentenced people. The figures do not explain the choices behind any charge or sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (7,571). 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 Whiteman AFB vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Missouri (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.