Federal Sentences in the Western District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025
In the Western District of North Carolina, 95% of the 4,904 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, higher than the 91% rate for all federal districts. Supervised release for life was ordered for 260 people (5%). The median prison term was 57 months (4.8 years), compare
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In brief: In the Western District of North Carolina, 95% of the 4,904 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, higher than the 91% rate for all federal districts. Supervised release for life was ordered for 260 people (5%). The median prison term was 57 months (4.8 years), compared with 24 months nationally.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,904 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.
A High Rate of Prison Sentences
Prison terms were imposed on 4,648 of the 4,904 people sentenced (95%). Only 149 (3%) received probation alone, with no prison or other confinement.
The median term among those sent to prison was 57 months. A quarter received 111 months or more, while a quarter received 25 months or less. Life sentences were imposed on 22 people.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1,883 people (38%). The terms in this data are the sentences imposed, not the time people served.
Lifetime Supervised Release
Supervised release is a period of court supervision that follows a prison term. In this district, 4,465 people (91%) were ordered to serve it, and the median term was 36 months.
For 260 people (5%), the term was life. These records do not show which offenses those lifetime terms followed.
Restitution was ordered for 1,037 people (21%). Fines were ordered for 108 (2%).
Plea Agreements and Straight Pleas
Of the 4,904 people, 4,708 (96%) pleaded guilty, slightly lower than the 97% national rate. Trials produced 196 convictions.
A written plea agreement was part of 75% of guilty pleas. The remaining 25% were straight pleas, where the person admitted guilt without an agreement with the government.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 57 months. After a trial, it was 122 months, based on 192 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. People who went to trial may have faced a different mix of offenses, and the records do not adjust for that.
Offense Types and Their Median Terms
Drug trafficking accounted for 1,639 people (33%) and had a median prison term of 85.5 months. Firearms accounted for 1,063 (22%), with a median of 46 months.
Fraud, theft, or embezzlement covered 552 people (11%), median 28 months. Immigration covered 491 (10%), median 8 months. Robbery covered 218 (4%), median 114 months.
Child pornography (images of child exploitation) covered 189 people (4%), with a median of 96 months. Money laundering, 166 people, had a median of 70 months and a guilty plea rate of 86%. Sexual abuse, 135 people, had the longest median in the table at 232 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,639 | 33% | 85.5 months | 97% |
| Firearms | 1,063 | 22% | 46 months | 97% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 552 | 11% | 28 months | 96% |
| Immigration | 491 | 10% | 8 months | 99% |
| Robbery | 218 | 4% | 114 months | 94% |
| Child Pornography | 189 | 4% | 96 months | 97% |
| Money Laundering | 166 | 3% | 70 months | 86% |
| Sexual Abuse | 135 | 3% | 232 months | 91% |
Was the Sentence Within the Guideline Range?
The guideline range is the recommended number of months under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Position against it was recorded for 4,894 people.
Within-range sentences: 2,605 (53%), higher than the 48% for all districts. Below the range at the government's request: 1,146 (23%). Below the range without such a request: 993 (20%). Above the range: 150 (3%).
Criminal history, which helps set the range, put 36% of people sentenced in category I, the lowest, and 10% in category VI, the highest.
Changes in the Yearly Counts
The district sentenced 2,317 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,587 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The highest yearly count was 658 in 2016, and the lowest was 305 in 2024. The yearly median prison term was 46 months in 2016 and 68 months in 2023. The data does not show why these numbers moved.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 658 | 46 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 555 | 57 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 566 | 48 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 538 | 52.5 months | 97% |
| 2020 | 513 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 502 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2022 | 553 | 61 months | 97% |
| 2023 | 362 | 68 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 305 | 54 months | 95% |
| 2025 | 352 | 60 months | 95% |
What the Records Do Not Include
The Sentencing Commission tracks only people convicted and sentenced, so cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal are not counted. The data does not describe individual cases or measure whether any sentence fit the conduct.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,904). 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.