Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025
In the District of Oregon, 23 people were sentenced for drug possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 52% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 0.8 months. In 91% of cases, the sentence was within the guideline range, which is a higher share than for all offenses in the district (22
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 › Drug Possession: District of Oregon
In brief: In the District of Oregon, 23 people were sentenced for drug possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 52% received a prison term, and the median prison term was 0.8 months. In 91% of cases, the sentence was within the guideline range, which is a higher share than for all offenses in the district (22%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 23 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.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
21 of the 23 people (91%) were sentenced within the guideline range, which is the range calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines for each case. The other 2 (9%) were below the range at the government's request. None was below it without a government request, and none was above it.
For this offense type in all 94 federal districts, 90% were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Oregon, 22% were.
Short Prison Terms and Probation
12 of the 23 (52%) received a prison term, and 8 (35%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 2.2 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. The median was 0.8 months.
In all districts, 68% were sent to prison, and the median was 6 months. The median for all offenses in the District of Oregon was 32 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 0 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 3 | 12.6 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 6 | 2 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0.2 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1.9 months | 1 of 1 |
A Small Category
Drug possession cases were less than 1% of the 4,319 people sentenced in the district. The Commission lists simple possession as its own offense type, separate from drug trafficking, and the 94-district comparison here is for possession only. The most common primary guideline was §2D2.1 (Unlawful Possession), with 21 people.
7 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 16 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs October 1 to the end of September. Some years have a single person, so the yearly medians do not show a trend.
Fines and Supervised Release
A fine was ordered for 8 people (35%), and restitution for none. This differs from several other offense types, where restitution is common. Supervised release is a period of supervision after prison, and it was ordered for 8 people (35%), with a median term of 12 months.
Pleas, Mandatory Minimums, and Criminal History
All 23 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. All of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 of the 23 people (4%).
By criminal history, 61% were in the lowest category and 13% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals, dismissals, and cases handled in other ways are not included. The records do not name the drug or describe any case, and with 23 people the figures should be read as a short list of outcomes and not as a pattern.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Oregon (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oregon") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Possession" (23). 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)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Oregon, 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.