Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
Of the 39 people sentenced for drug possession offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2024, 35 (90%) received probation only, and 4 (10%) received a prison term. The median prison term for those 4 people was 0.7 months. A fine was ordered for 34 people (87%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY20 › Drug Possession: Western District of Louisiana
In brief: Of the 39 people sentenced for drug possession offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2024, 35 (90%) received probation only, and 4 (10%) received a prison term. The median prison term for those 4 people was 0.7 months. A fine was ordered for 34 people (87%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 39 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 Was the Usual Sentence
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 39 people in this district whose offense type was Drug Possession. Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was the sentence for 35 of them (90%). The other 4 (10%) received a prison term.
Among those 4, the median prison term was 0.7 months. A quarter received 1 month or more, and a quarter received 0.4 months or less. With only 4 people, these figures describe a very small group.
Across all 94 federal districts, 5,909 people were sentenced for drug possession, and 68% were sent to prison. The median prison term in all districts was 6 months. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 60 months.
Fines, Restitution, and Supervised Release
A fine was ordered for 34 people (87%). Restitution was ordered for 0 (0%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 2 people (5%), with a median term of 12 months.
Fines were the most common financial penalty in these cases. The records do not show the amounts.
Pleas Without Written Agreements
All 39 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 3% had a written plea agreement, and 69% were straight pleas with no agreement. The records do not say how the remaining pleas were classified.
In all districts, guilty pleas for drug possession were more than 99%. For all offenses in this district, the share was 96%.
Guideline Information Is Limited
Few of these records include guideline details. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 3 people with that information recorded. Guideline range information was recorded for 3 people, and all 3 were sentenced within the range.
In all districts, 90% of drug possession sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 67%. Counts of 3 people are too small to compare with those figures.
Criminal history was recorded for 1 person, who was in neither the lowest category (category I) nor the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field. The primary guideline for 1 person was §2D2.1 (Unlawful Possession); the sheet lists no other guideline.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Drug possession cases were 1% of the 3,011 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. This offense type has cases only through fiscal year 2024. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 26 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 13.
The yearly table shows n/a for the median in years where no one was sent to prison. Counts are small, so the table does not show a trend. Federal fiscal years begin on October 1.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | n/a | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 4 | 0.3 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 7 | n/a | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0.4 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 6 | n/a | 6 of 6 |
| 2023 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 months | 1 of 1 |
Military Installations and Limits of the Data
Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk are in this district and appear in this site's court-martial data. Court-martial cases are heard in military courts rather than in the district court.
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Possession" (39). 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 Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, 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.