> ## 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. # §2A2.3 Assault: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-3-assault-fy2016/ - Published: 2026-11-04T10:26:51.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T10:26:51.000Z - Description: In fiscal year 2016, 77 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A2.3, "Assault," as the primary guideline. Of those, 44 (57%) received prison, and the median prison term was 5.8 months. Sentences within the guideline range were 71%, higher than the 49% for all federal cases that year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [§2A2.3 Assault](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-3-assault/) › §2A2.3: FY2016 **In brief:** In fiscal year 2016, 77 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A2.3, "Assault," as the primary guideline. Of those, 44 (57%) received prison, and the median prison term was 5.8 months. Sentences within the guideline range were 71%, higher than the 49% for all federal cases that year. 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 77 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2016\. 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/). ## Prison Terms and Probation in 2016 The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 77 people whose most serious count was sentenced under this guideline. A prison term went to 44 (57%), and 28 (36%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 5.8 months. A quarter received 11.2 months or more, and a quarter received 1.8 months or less. For everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2016 under every guideline, the median prison term was 24 months. Over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the Commission counted 758 people under this guideline. Of those, 62% went to prison, and the median prison term was 6.2 months. The 2016 share sent to prison was lower than the all-years share. ## Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range For all 77 people, the Commission has the position of the sentence against the advisory range. Within the range: 71% (55). Below the range at the government's request: 6% (5). Below the range without a government request: 16% (12). Above the range: 6% (5). Across all years 2016 to 2025, the share within the range for this guideline was 72%. The share in 2016 was about the same as that, and it was higher than the 49% for all federal cases in 2016. ## Guilty Pleas and Trials in 2016 A total of 75 of 77 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 5.8 months, and after a trial it was 3.5 months. The trial figure is based on 2 people who were convicted at trial and sent to prison. That is too few to say how trials and pleas compare under this guideline. Among the guilty pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement, and 13% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 75 people with that information recorded (1%). ## Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution After prison, 39 people (51%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 12 months. A fine was ordered for 6 (8%), and restitution for 7 (9%). ## Criminal History In criminal history, 60% were in the lowest category, category I, and 6% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so no comparison is made here. ## The Years After 2016 The next year, 2017, had 105 people, a median prison term of 6.7 months, and 70% sentenced within the range. The table lists every year from 2016 to 2025, including the median prison term for each. A count of 77 people is small, and one year does not show a trend. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not in it. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Fiscal year 2016 ran from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016\. The Commission lists the offense type for all 77 cases as Assault. There is no close court-martial counterpart for this guideline in the approved crosswalk, so this post reports the federal numbers on their own. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 77 | 5.8 months | 97% | | 2017 | 105 | 6.7 months | 96% | | 2018 | 82 | 7.1 months | 96% | | 2019 | 111 | 7 months | 95% | | 2020 | 79 | 7 months | 96% | | 2021 | 76 | 6.6 months | 99% | | 2022 | 68 | 6 months | 97% | | 2023 | 62 | 6.3 months | 95% | | 2024 | 51 | 6 months | 92% | | 2025 | 47 | 6 months | 96% | ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2016 whose primary sentencing guideline was §2A2.3 (77), 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) - [§2A2.3 Assault: Federal Sentences, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-3-assault/) (overview) - [§2A2.3 Assault: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guideline-2a2-3-assault-fy2017/) (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.