Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
In the District of Massachusetts, 6 of the 11 people sentenced for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (55%) received probation only. The other 5 (45%) went to prison, with a median prison term of 0 months. The group is too small for firm conclusions.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2 › Environmental Offense: District of Massachusetts
In brief: In the District of Massachusetts, 6 of the 11 people sentenced for environmental offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (55%) received probation only. The other 5 (45%) went to prison, with a median prison term of 0 months. The group is too small for firm conclusions.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 11 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 6 of 11 People
The share sent to prison was 45% here and 28% across all 94 districts, where 1,638 people were sentenced under the "Environmental" offense type. The Sentencing Commission defines that category.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 0 months. The longest quarter of terms was 3 months or more, and the shortest quarter was 0 months or less. Across all districts the median was 5 months, and across all offenses in this district it was 30 months.
Wildlife Cases Were the Most Common
Of the 11 people, 7 were under §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), and 2 were under §2Q1.3 (Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants). The remaining 2 were under §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides) and §2Q1.4 (Tampering or Attempted Tampering with a Public Water System), 1 each.
Environmental cases made up less than 1% of the 4,847 people sentenced in the district. A primary guideline is the section of the Sentencing Guidelines that sets the starting point for the sentence in a case.
All Pleaded Guilty
All 11 people pleaded guilty, and 0 went to trial. Written plea agreements covered 82% of pleas, and the other 18% were straight pleas.
Across all districts, 98% pleaded guilty for this offense type. In this district across all offenses, the rate was 95%. A straight plea means the person pleaded guilty without a written agreement with the government.
Sentences and the Recommended Range
Only 1 sentence (9%) was inside the guideline range. Government requests for a lower sentence preceded 6 below-range sentences (55%), and 4 (36%) were below the range without a request. None was above it.
Across all districts, 50% of these sentences were inside the range. Across all offenses in this district, 29% were. No mandatory minimum applied.
Release, Fines, and Restitution
Supervised release followed prison for 4 people (36%), with a median term of 30 months. Fines were ordered for 3 people (27%), and no one was ordered to pay restitution.
In the Commission's criminal history measure, 91% were in the lowest category, and none was in the highest. Court-martial files have no equivalent field.
Few People Per Year
The district sentenced 8 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 3 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years begin October 1.
No year in the table has more than 3 people. The 2017 median was 46 months and the 2018 median was 1.5 months. In 2016 and 2019, each with 1 person, the median is n/a. These figures are separate small groups, not a pattern.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 3 | 46 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 1.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
Limits of the Records
The data contain only convicted and sentenced people, with no acquittals or dismissals. Prison terms are the terms imposed rather than time served. The facts of each case, such as the species or substance involved, are not in the records.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Environmental" (11). 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.
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 Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, 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.