> ## 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. # §2A2.1 Assault with Intent to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-1-assault-with-intent-to-commit-murder-fy2020/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:25:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:25:14.000Z - Description: In fiscal year 2020, 126 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A2.1, "Assault with Intent to Commit Murder." 39% received a sentence within the guideline range, and 8% (10) received a sentence above it. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [§2A2.1 Assault with Intent to Commit Murder](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-1-assault-with-intent-to-commit-murder/) › §2A2.1: FY2020 **In brief:** In fiscal year 2020, 126 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A2.1, "Assault with Intent to Commit Murder." 39% received a sentence within the guideline range, and 8% (10) received a sentence above it. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years). 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 126 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2020\. 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/). ## Sentences Above the Range Were 8% in 2020 Range information was recorded for all 126 people. 49 (39%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 39 (31%) were below it at the government's request, and 28 (22%) were below it without a government request. 10 (8%) were above the range. The within-range share was 43% in 2019 and 42% in 2021, so 2020 was lower on that measure. A single year with 126 people does not make a trend, and the records do not explain the difference. Among all guidelines in 2020, 50% of sentences were within the range. ## Prison Terms All 126 people (100%) received prison, and 0 (0%) received probation only. The median prison term was 120 months. A quarter received 233.2 months or more, and a quarter received 88.5 months or less. 3 people received life sentences. The terms are imposed terms and not time served. ## Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums 107 of the 126 (85%) pleaded guilty, and 19 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 120 months after a guilty plea and 360 months after a trial. The trial group has 19 people. The records cannot show whether the cases differed in other ways. Among guilty pleas, 78% had a written plea agreement and 22% were straight pleas. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 42 of the 126 people (33%). ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution 124 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 (2%), and restitution for 16 (13%). ## Criminal History 17% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 23% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## The 2020 Count Next to Other Years The U.S. Sentencing Commission counts people by primary guideline, meaning the one that set the offense level for the most serious count. Fiscal year 2020 ran from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020\. All 126 cases were in the Assault category, and only people who were convicted and sentenced are included. In 2019, 169 people were sentenced under §2A2.1, and 43% were within the range. In 2021, 115 were sentenced, and 42% were within the range. For fiscal years 2016 to 2025 together, 1,534 people were sentenced, the median was 120 months, and 41% were within the range. For all guidelines in 2020, 64,565 people were sentenced, with a median prison term of 18 months and 98% guilty pleas. The table lists the §2A2.1 count, median, and plea rate for every year. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 80 | 120.5 months | 86% | | 2017 | 130 | 120 months | 91% | | 2018 | 112 | 136 months | 90% | | 2019 | 169 | 120 months | 89% | | 2020 | 126 | 120 months | 85% | | 2021 | 115 | 120 months | 92% | | 2022 | 182 | 120 months | 87% | | 2023 | 201 | 120 months | 87% | | 2024 | 226 | 125 months | 90% | | 2025 | 193 | 137 months | 83% | ## What Is Not in These Numbers The data does not show the facts of each case. The approved crosswalk has no close court-martial counterpart, so this post reports federal numbers on their own. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2020 whose primary sentencing guideline was §2A2.1 (126), U.S. Sentencing Commission individual data files. The primary guideline is the one that set the offense level for the most serious count. 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) - [§2A2.1 Assault with Intent to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-1-assault-with-intent-to-commit-murder/) (overview) - [§2A2.1 Assault with Intent to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-1-assault-with-intent-to-commit-murder-fy2019/) (previous or next fiscal year) - [§2A2.1 Assault with Intent to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-1-assault-with-intent-to-commit-murder-fy2021/) (previous or next fiscal year) - [How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sentences-outside-guideline-range/) - [Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-mandatory-minimum-sentences/) - [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.