Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025
The District of Arizona sentenced 3,021 people for drug possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2,833 of them were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 alone. The median prison term was 6 months, and 3,020 pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 3,016 people with that informat
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 › Drug Possession: District of Arizona
In brief: The District of Arizona sentenced 3,021 people for drug possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2,833 of them were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 alone. The median prison term was 6 months, and 3,020 pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 3,016 people with that information recorded.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 3,021 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.
Most Cases Came Early in the Period
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 2,833 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 188. The yearly table shows the count falling from 1,450 in fiscal year 2016 to 9 in fiscal year 2025.
The records cannot show why the counts changed. Drug possession cases were 6% of the 47,716 people sentenced in this district over the full period.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,450 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 847 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 352 | 6 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 184 | 5.9 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 147 | 5.9 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 10 | 0.3 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 10 | 3.5 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 months | 90% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0.2 months | 9 of 9 |
Prison Terms
Of the 3,021 people, 2,945 (97%) received a prison term, and 74 (2%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 6 months or more, and a quarter received 5.9 months or less. Across all 94 districts, the median was also 6 months, and 68% of 5,909 people were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 9 months.
Position Against the Guideline Range
The range was recorded for 2,699 people. Of those, 88% (2,367) were sentenced within it. Less than 1% (4) were below it at the government's request, and 0% (0) were below it without a request. The other 12% (328) were above the range.
Across all districts, 90% of drug possession sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 35% were within it. The 12% above the range is a notable share, because the records show almost no sentences below the range for this offense type.
Pleas and Criminal History
Of the 3,021 people, 3,020 (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, more than 99% had a written plea agreement.
In criminal history, 99% were in the lowest category I and 0% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Across all 94 districts, more than 99% of people sentenced for drug possession also pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was more than 99%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release was ordered for only 39 people (1%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 40 (1%), and restitution for 5 (less than 1%).
The most common primary guideline was §2D2.1 (Unlawful Possession), listed for 26 people. It was the only primary guideline listed for this offense type in the sheet.
Installations and Limits of the Data
Davis-Monthan AFB, Fort Huachuca, Luke AFB, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and the federal numbers describe the whole district.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Arizona (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arizona") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Possession" (3,021). 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.
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)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- 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.