Federal Individual Rights Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
Of 14 people sentenced for federal individual rights offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 4 were convicted after a trial, which is more often than in most federal categories. The median prison term was 29.5 months for the 10 people sent to prison, compared with 30
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016– › Individual Rights Offense: Middle District of Alabama
In brief: Of 14 people sentenced for federal individual rights offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 4 were convicted after a trial, which is more often than in most federal categories. The median prison term was 29.5 months for the 10 people sent to prison, compared with 30 months across all districts for this offense type.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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.
Trials Were Common for This Offense Type
Of the 14 people, 10 (71%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 80% pleaded guilty for individual rights offenses. For all offenses in this district, the guilty plea share was 94%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 25.5 months. After a trial it was 49.5 months, based on 4 people sent to prison. The group is small, so the figure describes these cases only.
Prison Terms
A prison term went to 10 people (71%). Another 3 (21%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The median prison term was 29.5 months (2.5 years). A quarter received 39.8 months or more, and a quarter received 17.5 months or less.
Across all districts, 855 people were sentenced for this offense type, 68% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 30 months. The district's median for all offenses was 46 months.
The Guideline That Applied
"Individual Rights" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. All 14 cases in this district had §2H1.1 (Offenses Involving Individual Rights) as the primary guideline.
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 14 people.
Sentences Below the Guideline Range
Only 3 of the 14 sentences (21%) were within the guideline range. In 6 cases (43%) the sentence was below the range at the government's request, and 5 (36%) were below it without a government request. None was above the range.
Across all districts, 38% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 47% were. That makes the share within the range lower here than in either comparison.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 10 people (71%), with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 4 people (29%), and restitution for 1 (7%).
In criminal history, 93% were in the lowest category and 0% were in the highest. All guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits of the Records
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 4 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 10 people. Each year in the yearly table has 1 to 4 people, which is too few to show a trend. The fiscal year begins in October and ends in September.
Maxwell AFB, Alabama, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed do not appear in this data. The prison terms shown are the terms imposed, not time served. The records give no reasons for any sentence.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 41 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 36 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 22 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 4 | 69 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2023 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 29 months | 1 of 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 16 months | 1 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Individual Rights" (14). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, 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.