Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
14 people were sentenced for kidnapping in the Eastern District of Arkansas, all in fiscal years 2021 to 2025. All 14 pleaded guilty and all received prison terms. The median was 231.5 months (19.3 years), compared with 155 months for all 94 districts.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY201 › Kidnapping: Eastern District of Arkansas
In brief: 14 people were sentenced for kidnapping in the Eastern District of Arkansas, all in fiscal years 2021 to 2025. All 14 pleaded guilty and all received prison terms. The median was 231.5 months (19.3 years), compared with 155 months for all 94 districts.
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.
All Cases Fell in Fiscal Years 2021 to 2025
The data lists kidnapping sentences in this district only for fiscal years 2021 to 2025, although the post covers fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The table shows 1 person in 2021, 7 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 1 in 2025.
The 7 people in 2022 are the largest yearly count. The yearly medians range from 204 months to 420 months. The records cannot show whether the timing reflects a change in cases or in charging, and counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 262 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 7 | 204 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2023 | 4 | 215 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2024 | 1 | 420 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 240 months | 1 of 1 |
Very Long Prison Terms
14 of the 14 people (100%) received a prison term. The median was 231.5 months. The longest quarter received 308.5 months or more, and the shortest quarter received 181.2 months or less. These are the sentences imposed, not time served.
For all districts, the median kidnapping term was 155 months, and more than 99% of the 1,124 people sentenced were sent to prison. For every offense in this district, the median was 50 months.
Government Requests Below the Range
8 sentences (57%) were below the guideline range at the government's request. 6 (43%) were within the range. None were above it, and none were below it without a request.
Across all districts, 33% of kidnapping sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 55%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 14 people (29%).
No Trials in This Group
14 of the 14 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 84% of kidnapping cases ended in a guilty plea. Across all offenses in this district, the share was 98%.
93% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 7% did not. With no trials, the data cannot compare pleas with trials.
The Offense Type and Its Guideline
"Kidnapping" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, drawn from each case's primary guideline. All 14 people were sentenced under §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint).
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,942 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Supervision and Criminal History
All 14 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. Restitution was ordered for 1 person (7%), and no fine was ordered.
None of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, and 36% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What the Data Leaves Out
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
The data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals, dismissals, and the facts of each case are not in it.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (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.
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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, 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.