> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-environmental-sentences-district-of-connecticut/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:04.000Z - Description: The data lists 13 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of Connecticut, all in fiscal years 2018 to 2023. Probation only was the sentence for 9 (69%), and 2 (15%) went to prison. In all 94 districts, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–202](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-connecticut/) › Environmental Offense: District of Connecticut **In brief:** The data lists 13 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the District of Connecticut, all in fiscal years 2018 to 2023\. Probation only was the sentence for 9 (69%), and 2 (15%) went to prison. In all 94 districts, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 13 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Fines Instead of Prison A fine was ordered for 10 of the 13 people (77%). Restitution was ordered for 1 person (8%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 1 person (8%), with a median term of 36 months. The most common sentence was probation only, with no prison or other confinement. That was the result for 9 people (69%). ## The Prison Terms That Were Given The median prison term for the 2 people sent to prison was 7.2 months. The sheet gives 7.7 months at the upper quarter mark and 6.6 months at the lower. With 2 people, these figures describe those 2 cases only. The national median for this offense type was 5 months. The district median for all offenses was 36 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 13 people (15%). ## The Environmental Guidelines "Environmental" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. Cases fell under §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides) for 5 people and §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants) for 5 people. The remaining 3 people were sentenced under §2Q1.3 (Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants). The group is less than 1% of the 3,174 people sentenced in the district across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. ## Mostly Within the Guideline Range 9 people (69%) were sentenced within the guideline range. That is higher than the national figure of 50% for this offense type and the district figure of 30% for all offenses. 2 people (15%) were below the range at the government's request, and 2 (15%) were below it without such a request. No one was above the range. ## Guilty Pleas and Criminal History All 13 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and each plea had a written plea agreement. The national guilty plea rate was 98%. Everyone in the group was in the lowest criminal history category. The sheet gives no national criminal history figure for this offense type, so the records cannot show whether that is usual. A written plea agreement is a signed agreement between the prosecution and the person pleading guilty, and its terms are not in the data. ## The Years in the Table The table covers fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023\. Each has 1 to 4 people. A row shows n/a when no median is given for that year. There were 6 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 7 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. A group this small does not show a trend. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2018 | 3 | 6 months | 3 of 3 | | 2019 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 | | 2021 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 | | 2022 | 4 | 8.3 months | 4 of 4 | | 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 | ## What Is Missing Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. The records do not describe the pollution or wildlife involved in any case, and they do not explain any sentence. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Connecticut (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Connecticut") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (13). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-connecticut/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-district-of-connecticut/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.