Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
12 people were sentenced for kidnapping in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and all 12 received a prison term. The median was 309.5 months (25.8 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median kidnapping term was 155 months.
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In brief: 12 people were sentenced for kidnapping in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and all 12 received a prison term. The median was 309.5 months (25.8 years). For all 94 federal districts, the median kidnapping term was 155 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 12 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.
Very Long Prison Terms
12 of the 12 people (100%) received a prison term. The median was 309.5 months (25.8 years). A quarter received 375 months or more, and a quarter received 187.8 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.
For all districts, the median was 155 months and more than 99% of the 1,124 people sentenced for kidnapping were sent to prison. For all offenses in the District of South Dakota, the median was 36 months. The terms are those imposed, not time served.
Guilty Pleas Were 50% of These Cases, and Trials the Rest
6 of the 12 people (50%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, guilty pleas were 84% of kidnapping cases, and for all offenses in this district they were 95%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 264.5 months. After a trial it was 360 months. Each group has 6 people, so the comparison describes these cases only. All 6 guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted, so acquittals are not in these numbers.
Position Against the Guideline Range
8 people (67%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 3 (25%) were below the range without a government request, and 1 (8%) was above the range. None were below it at the government's request.
For all districts, 33% of kidnapping sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 57%.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 of the 12 people (25%).
The Offense Type and Its Guideline
"Kidnapping" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. All 12 people were sentenced under the same primary guideline, §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint).
These cases were less than 1% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
11 people (92%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. Restitution was ordered for 8 people (67%). No fine was ordered.
25% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, and 0% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
3 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 9 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. In the table, no year has more than 3 people, so the yearly medians should be read as descriptions of a few cases. The medians range from 46 months to 420 months. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 240 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 360 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 210 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 46 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 295.5 months | 0 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 420 months | 1 of 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 258 months | 0 of 2 |
Limits of the Records
Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The data does not give the facts of any case, and it does not show why a term was long or short.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (12). 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 South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, 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.