Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
Of the 31 people sentenced for drug possession in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 20 (65%) went to prison and 11 (35%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months, the same as across all 94 districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016– › Drug Possession: Northern District of Texas
In brief: Of the 31 people sentenced for drug possession in the Northern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 20 (65%) went to prison and 11 (35%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months, the same as across all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 31 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.
Prison or Probation?
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 31 people in its "Drug Possession" offense type in this district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 20 (65%) were sentenced to prison. 11 (35%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Across all districts, 68% were sent to prison. The district's share was about the same.
How Long Were the Prison Terms?
The median prison term was 6 months. A quarter of those sent to prison received 7.2 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.
For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 60 months. Drug possession terms were far shorter.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
Guideline information was recorded for 30 people. 83% (25 people) were sentenced within the range, 13% (4 people) above it, and 3% (1 person) below it without a government request. No one was below the range at the government's request (0%).
Across all districts, 90% were within the range. For all offenses in this district it was 62%.
Guilty Pleas and Mandatory Minimums
All 31 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. 97% of the pleas had a written plea agreement, and 3% were straight pleas.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 31 people (3%). The only primary guideline listed was §2D2.1 (Unlawful Possession), used for 25 people.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
16 people (52%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 14 (45%). Restitution was ordered for 1 (3%).
The fine rate of 45% is much higher than the restitution rate. For criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category and 13% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts Are Very Small
The district sentenced 13 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 18 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. No year had more than 4 people, and fiscal year 2023 had 1.
The yearly medians in the table are 0 months in fiscal year 2016, 6 months in fiscal year 2024, and 6.2 months in fiscal year 2025. With 1 to 4 people a year, these are small groups and the figures should not be read as a trend. The table shows "n/a" for fiscal year 2023 because only 1 person was sentenced. Drug possession cases were less than 1% of the 14,591 people sentenced in this district.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 0 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 4 | 1.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 4 | 6 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 4 | 6.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 6 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 6.2 months | 4 of 4 |
What Is Not in the Data
Only convictions that led to a sentence are counted. Dismissals and acquittals are absent. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Possession" (31). 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 Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, 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.