Federal Individual Rights Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
33 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Individual Rights" offense type in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 9 were convicted after a trial, and 73% pleaded guilty, compared with 80% in all 94 federal districts. The median prison term was 40 months.
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In brief: 33 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Individual Rights" offense type in the Eastern District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 9 were convicted after a trial, and 73% pleaded guilty, compared with 80% in all 94 federal districts. The median prison term was 40 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 33 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.
A Higher Share of Trials Than Usual in This District
24 of 33 people (73%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. For all offenses in the Eastern District of Kentucky, the guilty plea rate was 93%, and for this category in all districts it was 80%.
The median prison term was 38 months after a guilty plea and 84 months after a trial, based on 9 people. Among those who pleaded guilty, 100% had a written plea agreement, and 0% entered a straight plea.
Prison, Probation, and Median Terms
27 of the 33 people (82%) received a prison term, and 3 (9%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 40 months (3.3 years). A quarter received 115 months or more, and a quarter received 25.5 months or less.
In all districts, the category had 855 people, 68% sent to prison, and a median prison term of 30 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
What Guidelines Were Used
The Commission's category groups several kinds of federal offenses. The most common primary guideline was §2H1.1 (Offenses Involving Individual Rights), used for 26 people. §2H2.1 (Obstructing an Election or Registration) was used for 4, and §2H4.1 (Peonage, Involuntary Servitude, and Slave Trade) for 3.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,374 people sentenced in the district over these years.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
12 people (36%) were sentenced within the advisory guideline range. 9 (27%) were below it at the government's request, and 12 (36%) were below it without a government request. None were above it.
In all districts, 38% of sentences in this category were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 33 people (3%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
27 people (82%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (9%), and restitution for 12 (36%).
85% were in the lowest criminal history category, Category I, and 3% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
10 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 23 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table has between 1 and 9 people in each year listed. Where no prison term was imposed on the people in a year, the median shows as "n/a".
2024 has the most people, 9, and a median of 36 months. The medians in other years range from 30 months to 135 months, and each is based on a very small group.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 3 | 30 months | 0 of 3 |
| 2018 | 5 | 120 months | 3 of 5 |
| 2019 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 5 | 108 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2021 | 3 | 39 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2022 | 3 | 135 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 36 months | 7 of 9 |
| 2025 | 3 | 36 months | 3 of 3 |
Limits
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data, and the data does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Individual Rights" (33). 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 Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, 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.