Federal Individual Rights Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025
11 people were sentenced in the District of Arizona for individual rights offenses in fiscal years 2018 to 2025, and 7 of them (64%) received probation only. 4 (36%) received a prison term, with a median of 31.5 months. In all 94 districts, 68% of people in this category were sent to prison.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 › Individual Rights Offense: District of Arizona
In brief: 11 people were sentenced in the District of Arizona for individual rights offenses in fiscal years 2018 to 2025, and 7 of them (64%) received probation only. 4 (36%) received a prison term, with a median of 31.5 months. In all 94 districts, 68% of people in this category were sent to prison.
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 Was More Common Than Prison
7 of the 11 people (64%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. 4 (36%) received a prison term.
For individual rights cases in all 94 districts, 68% of people were sent to prison and 855 people were sentenced. The Arizona group is much smaller, and it had a lower share sent to prison.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are in this data.
Prison Terms Varied Widely
Among the 4 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 31.5 months (2.6 years). A quarter received 119.2 months or more, and a quarter received 9 months or less.
The median for all districts was 30 months, which is close to the Arizona figure. The median for all offenses in this district was 9 months.
With 4 people, the spread between the longest and shortest terms matters more than the median. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Pleas and Trials
9 of the 11 people (82%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 80% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 6 months. After a trial it was 187.5 months, based on 2 people. These are very small groups, so the gap cannot be treated as a pattern.
All 9 guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
A Mix of Guidelines
"Individual Rights" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense category, and it covers several different kinds of cases. 5 cases used §2H1.1 (Offenses Involving Individual Rights), 2 used §2H3.1 (Interception of Communications), and 2 used §2H2.1 (Obstructing an Election or Registration).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 11 people (9%).
Guideline Range and Criminal History
The guideline range is the range that the Commission's rules produce for each case. 9 people have this information. 4 sentences were within the range, 4 were below it without a government request, and 1 was below it at the government's request. None was above the range.
8 of the 9 were in the lowest criminal history category I, and 0 of 9 were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
3 people (27%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 78 months. 1 person (9%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 4 people (36%), and restitution for 3 (27%).
Years and Limits
2 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 9 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. These cases were less than 1% of the 47,716 people sentenced in the district. The table lists the years with cases, and most years have 1 to 3 people. The 2025 median of 324 months rests on 1 person.
The records do not describe any case, so they cannot show why some people received probation and others prison. Davis-Monthan AFB, Fort Huachuca, Luke AFB, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 25.5 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 324 months | 0 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Arizona (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arizona") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Individual Rights" (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.
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 Arizona, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Arizona, 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.