Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
Of the 20 people sentenced for drug possession in the Eastern District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 11 (55%) received a prison term and 9 (45%) received probation only. The median prison term was 0 months. For this offense type in all 94 districts, 68% were sent to prison and the median
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY201 › Drug Possession: Eastern District of Michigan
In brief: Of the 20 people sentenced for drug possession in the Eastern District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 11 (55%) received a prison term and 9 (45%) received probation only. The median prison term was 0 months. For this offense type in all 94 districts, 68% were sent to prison and the median was 6 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 20 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.
Probation Only for 9 of 20 People
Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 9 of the 20 people (45%). The other 11 (55%) received a prison term.
Among those sent to prison, the median term was 0 months. A quarter received 3 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less. A median of 0 months means that the middle recorded term was 0 months.
In all 94 districts, 68% of people with this offense type were sent to prison, and the median term was 6 months. The district's share is lower.
One Guideline, One Kind of Case
All 20 cases used §2D2.1 (Unlawful Possession) as the primary guideline. "Drug Possession" is the Commission's category, and it is separate from drug trafficking.
Drug possession cases were less than 1% of the 7,508 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 36 months, which is far longer than the median here.
Fines Were More Common Than Restitution
A fine was ordered for 12 people (60%). No restitution was ordered in any of the 20 cases.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 7 people (35%), with a median term of 12 months. The records do not list a reason for this share.
Most Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Sentences were within the guideline range for 85% of the people (17). That is higher than the 38% for all offenses in the district. It is lower than the 90% for drug possession in all districts.
One sentence (5%) was below the range at the government's request, 1 (5%) was below the range without a request, and 1 (5%) was above the range.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 20 people (5%).
Pleas and Criminal History
All 20 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. In all districts, guilty pleas were more than 99%.
Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement, and 5% were straight pleas. In criminal history, 50% were in the lowest category (Category I) and 5% were in the highest (Category VI).
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 16 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 4 people. Fiscal year 2019 has the most of any year, with 6 people.
Several years have only 1 person, so no median is given for them. The table is a list of very small groups and does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 12 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
Limits of the Records
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Cases that were dismissed or ended in acquittal are not included.
The records do not say what drug was involved or why a court chose probation instead of prison in any one case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Possession" (20). 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 Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, 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.