Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025
In the District of Massachusetts, all 24 people sentenced for kidnapping in the years covered received a prison term. The median prison term was 137.5 months (11.5 years), and 1 person received a life sentence. In all 94 districts, the median for kidnapping was 155 months.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2 › Kidnapping: District of Massachusetts
In brief: In the District of Massachusetts, all 24 people sentenced for kidnapping in the years covered received a prison term. The median prison term was 137.5 months (11.5 years), and 1 person received a life sentence. In all 94 districts, the median for kidnapping was 155 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 24 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.
Every Kidnapping Sentence Included Prison
"Kidnapping" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for these cases. In this district, 24 of 24 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The records for this district cover fiscal years 2017 to 2023.
The median prison term was 137.5 months. A quarter received 220.5 months or more, and a quarter received 69 months or less. One person received a life sentence.
Comparison With All Districts and All Offenses
In all 94 districts, 1,124 people were sentenced for kidnapping, and the median prison term was 155 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 30 months.
Kidnapping cases were less than 1% of the 4,847 people sentenced in the district. Every case in this post had the same primary guideline: §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint).
Almost All Pleaded Guilty
A total of 23 of 24 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. In all districts, 84% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 131 months after a guilty plea. The person convicted at trial received 470 months. One case cannot be used to compare plea and trial outcomes. Among guilty pleas, 78% had a written plea agreement and 22% were straight pleas.
Few Sentences Within the Range
Of the 24 people, 2 (8%) were within the guideline range. A total of 12 (50%) were below it at the government's request, and 10 (42%) were below it without a government request. None was above the range.
In all districts for this offense type, 33% were within the range. In this district across all offenses, 29% were.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 of the 24 people (13%).
After Prison and Other Penalties
After prison, 22 people (92%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered, and restitution was ordered for 3 people (13%).
On criminal history, 42% were in the lowest category and 21% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Years in the Table
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 14 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 10. The table lists only fiscal years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023. A fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
Fiscal year 2018 had 10 people and a median of 174 months. Fiscal year 2019 had 2 people and a median of 6 months. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 210 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 10 | 174 months | 90% |
| 2019 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 4 | 59 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 6 | 195.5 months | 6 of 6 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served, and the records give no details about the underlying events.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Massachusetts (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Massachusetts") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (24). 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 Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Massachusetts, 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.