Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025
In the District of Arizona, 28 people were sentenced for kidnapping offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 28 received a prison term. The median prison term was 111 months (9.2 years), which is lower than the median of 155 months for kidnapping cases in all 94 federal districts. The 28 peopl
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 › Kidnapping: District of Arizona
In brief: In the District of Arizona, 28 people were sentenced for kidnapping offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 28 received a prison term. The median prison term was 111 months (9.2 years), which is lower than the median of 155 months for kidnapping cases in all 94 federal districts. The 28 people are a small group, so the numbers describe a few cases and not a pattern.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 28 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.
How Long Were Kidnapping Prison Terms in Arizona?
All 28 people received a prison term, and none received probation only. Among them, the median prison term was 111 months, or 9.2 years. A quarter received 171 months or more, and a quarter received 76.5 months or less.
The median for all offenses in the District of Arizona was 9 months. Kidnapping cases were less than 1% of the 47,716 people sentenced in the district in these years, so they are a very small part of the district's work.
Prison terms in this data are the terms imposed by the court. They are not the time actually served.
What Does the Commission Count as Kidnapping?
"Kidnapping" here is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's own offense category. It groups cases by the main guideline that applied to the sentence.
In this district, all 28 cases used the same primary guideline, §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint). The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 28 people, 22 (79%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 84% of kidnapping cases ended in a guilty plea, so the Arizona rate was lower.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 99.5 months. After a trial it was 192 months, based on the 6 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
Every person who pleaded guilty had a written plea agreement. The records do not show what the agreements contained or why any case went to trial.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentencing range the Commission's rules produce for each case. In this group, 5 sentences (18%) were within the range, and 3 (11%) were above it.
Most sentences were below the range. 15 (54%) were below it at the government's request, and 5 (18%) were below it without a government request.
For all offenses in the district, 35% of sentences were within the range. For kidnapping cases in all districts, the figure was 33%.
Other Terms of the Sentences
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 28 people. All 28 were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 1 person (4%) received supervised release for life.
No fine was ordered. Restitution was ordered for 10 people (36%).
Criminal history: 39% were in the lowest category I and 7% were in the highest, category VI.
Cases Year by Year
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 17 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 11 people were sentenced.
The table lists each year in the data. The yearly counts are between 1 and 7 people, so a single year's median can reflect only a few cases.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 72 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 2 | 345 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2018 | 7 | 135 months | 5 of 7 |
| 2019 | 5 | 60 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2020 | 1 | 252 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | 141 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2022 | 1 | 114 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 5 | 125.5 months | 4 of 5 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The records do not describe the facts of any case, so they cannot show why one sentence was longer than another. They also do not include people who were charged but not convicted.
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 district court, and these numbers report federal cases on their own.
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 "Kidnapping" (28). 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 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.