Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
All 48 people sentenced for kidnapping offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, and the median was 120 months (10 years). In all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 155 months. The count is small, so the figures descr
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Kidnapping: District of New Mexico
In brief: All 48 people sentenced for kidnapping offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term, and the median was 120 months (10 years). In all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 155 months. The count is small, so the figures describe a limited group of cases.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 48 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
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 48 people sentenced in this district for its offense type "Kidnapping". All 48 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only.
The median prison term was 120 months. A quarter of the people received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 84 months or less.
Prison terms here are the terms imposed by the court, not the time actually served. The data also counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not included.
How the District Compares With All 94 Districts
Across all 94 federal districts, the Commission counted 1,124 people in this offense type. More than 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 155 months. The median in this district was lower than that national median.
Guilty pleas were 90% of the cases here (43 of 48), compared with 84% nationally. Sentences within the guideline range were 13% here and 33% nationally.
Kidnapping cases were less than 1% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the District of New Mexico over these fiscal years. For all offenses in the district, the median prison term was 3.5 months, and 59% of sentences were within the guideline range.
Guilty Pleas and the 5 Trial Convictions
Of the 48 people, 43 pleaded guilty and 5 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement, and 2% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 120 months. After a trial it was 292 months.
The trial figure rests on only 5 people, so it should be read as a description of those cases and not as a typical result. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 48 people, or 8%.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. In this district, 13% of kidnapping sentences (6 people) were within the range.
A sentence below the range at the government's request applied to 71% (34 people). A sentence below the range without a government request applied to 17% (8 people). No sentence was above the range.
The most common primary guideline was §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint), with 47 of the 48 people. The other person was sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
All 48 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, and the median term was 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (4%), and restitution for 22 (46%).
In criminal history, 38% were in the lowest category I and 6% were in the highest VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that measure cannot be compared with military cases.
Cases by Year
The district had 15 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 33 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September.
Yearly counts ranged from 1 person to 9 people, so the median in any single year rests on very few cases. The table lists each year.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 292 months | 1 of 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 165 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 9 | 84 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2020 | 6 | 84.5 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2021 | 7 | 120 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 3 | 188 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 6 | 120 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 84 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2025 | 4 | 127.5 months | 3 of 4 |
What These Records Cannot Show
The records do not describe the facts of any case, and they cannot show why a sentence was higher or lower in one case than another. They do not include people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed.
Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB are in New Mexico. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and nothing here links those installations to these federal cases.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (48). 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 New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal National Defense Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Tax Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Arson Sentences in the District of New Mexico, 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.