Federal Sentences in the Western District of Wisconsin, FY2016–2025
The Western District of Wisconsin sentenced 1,403 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison had a median term of 59.5 months (5 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. 50% of the district's sentences were below the guideline range without a government reque
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In brief: The Western District of Wisconsin sentenced 1,403 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison had a median term of 59.5 months (5 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. 50% of the district's sentences were below the guideline range without a government request.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,403 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.
Caseload and Prison Terms
Over 10 fiscal years, the district sentenced 1,403 people. Its yearly counts in the table below range from 116 in 2017 to 188 in 2019.
1,280 of those people (91%) received a prison term, the same share as all districts. 112 (8%) received probation only.
Among those sent to prison, the median was 59.5 months. A quarter received 96 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence. The Commission records the prison term the court imposed, not the time served.
How Did Sentences Compare With the Guidelines?
The sentencing guidelines set out a recommended range for every federal defendant. In this district, 1,400 people had that information recorded.
694 (50%) received a sentence below the range without a government request. 445 (32%) were sentenced within the range, lower than the 48% rate across all districts. 224 (16%) were below the range at the government's request, and 37 (3%) were above it.
A mandatory minimum prison term, which sets a legal floor on the sentence, applied to 520 people (37%).
The District's Offense Types
Drug trafficking was the largest category, with 527 people (38%) and a median prison term of 78 months. Firearms came next with 243 (17%) and a median of 42 months.
Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 136 people (10%), with a median of 24 months. Immigration accounted for 126 (9%), with a median of 8 months.
Sexual abuse cases numbered 73 (5%) and had a median of 180 months. The 53 child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases had a median of 120 months, and all 53 ended in a guilty plea.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 527 | 38% | 78 months | 99% |
| Firearms | 243 | 17% | 42 months | 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 136 | 10% | 24 months | 94% |
| Immigration | 126 | 9% | 8 months | 100% |
| Sexual Abuse | 73 | 5% | 180 months | 86% |
| Robbery | 60 | 4% | 102 months | 95% |
| Child Pornography | 53 | 4% | 120 months | 100% |
| Money Laundering | 32 | 2% | 42 months | 100% |
Pleas and the 36 Trial Convictions
1,367 of the 1,403 people (97%) pleaded guilty, matching the national rate. 36 were convicted after a trial.
More than 99% of guilty pleas were made under a written plea agreement, and less than 1% were straight pleas.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 56 months. After a trial it was 156 months, based on 33 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. That is a small group, and its cases involved different charges from the plea cases.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 1,114 people (79%), with a median of 36 months. 18 people (1%) were ordered to serve it for life.
Restitution was ordered for 327 people (23%) and a fine for 95 (7%).
On the Commission's criminal history scale, 32% were in category I and 21% in category VI. Court-martial records have no such scale.
Medians by Fiscal Year
585 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 818 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The 2 periods are different lengths.
The yearly median prison term was 36 months in 2016, 72.5 months in 2022, and 68.5 months in 2025. Each yearly median rests on a small number of people.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 125 | 36 months | more than 99% |
| 2017 | 116 | 54 months | 95% |
| 2018 | 156 | 54 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 188 | 48 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 151 | 46 months | 99% |
| 2021 | 132 | 60 months | 97% |
| 2022 | 143 | 72.5 months | 99% |
| 2023 | 146 | 60 months | more than 99% |
| 2024 | 117 | 54 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 129 | 68.5 months | 97% |
What the Data Does Not Cover
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals do not appear, and the records give no reasons for the sentences judges chose.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Wisconsin (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wisconsin West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (1,403). 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.