Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025
In the District of Rhode Island, 365 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 40 months, compared with 60 months for this offense type across all 94 federal districts. Only 10% were sentenced within the guideline range, while 42% were be
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–20 › Drug Trafficking: District of Rhode Island
In brief: In the District of Rhode Island, 365 people were sentenced for drug trafficking in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and the median prison term was 40 months, compared with 60 months for this offense type across all 94 federal districts. Only 10% were sentenced within the guideline range, while 42% were below it at the government's request and 46% were below it without one.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 365 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.
Few Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentencing range the court calculates under the federal guidelines. Of 365 people with the information recorded, 38 (10%) were sentenced within it. 154 (42%) were below the range at the government's request, 168 (46%) were below it without a government request, and 5 (1%) were above it.
Across all districts, 32% of drug trafficking sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Rhode Island, the figure was 22%. Within the range was less common for drug trafficking here than across all districts.
Prison Terms Were Shorter Than the National Median
Of the 365 people, 342 (94%) received a prison term, and 17 (5%) received probation only. The median prison term was 40 months (3.3 years). A quarter received 70 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
For all 94 districts, 96% of 185,188 people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 60 months. For all offenses in the District of Rhode Island, the median was 33 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 205 of the 365 people (56%). A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute.
The records show that most sentences were below the guideline range. They do not show how often a sentence went under a mandatory minimum or by what legal route.
Almost Everyone Pleaded Guilty
Of the 365 people, 363 (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 98% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 9% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term was 39.3 months after a guilty plea and 90 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 2 people.
Yearly Counts
Drug trafficking made up 36% of the 1,015 people sentenced in the district. The district sentenced 160 of them in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 205 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of September.
The yearly count ranged from 27 in fiscal year 2025 to 49 in fiscal year 2018. The median was 24 months in fiscal year 2017 and 60 months in fiscal year 2019. The table lists every year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 32 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 32 | 24 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 49 | 36 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 47 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 37 | 54 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 28 | 54 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 30 | 48 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 35 | 36 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 48 | 34.2 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 27 | 54 months | 100% |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 335 people (92%), with a median term of 36 months. 1 person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 14 people (4%), and restitution for 7 (2%).
In criminal history, 43% were in the lowest category I and 20% were in the highest category, VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Guidelines and Limits of the Data
The primary guideline was §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses)) for 361 people. §2D1.10 (Endangering Human Life While Illegally Manufacturing a Controlled Substance) applied to 3.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not show drug type, quantity, or any person's role.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Rhode Island (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Rhode Island") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Drug Trafficking" (365). 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 Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, 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.