> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Manslaughter Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-manslaughter-sentences-district-of-maryland/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:01:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:01:52.000Z - Description: In the District of Maryland, 16 people were sentenced for manslaughter offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 15 (94%) received a prison term, with a median of 40 months (3.3 years), compared with 63 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-maryland/) › Manslaughter: District of Maryland **In brief:** In the District of Maryland, 16 people were sentenced for manslaughter offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of those, 15 (94%) received a prison term, with a median of 40 months (3.3 years), compared with 63 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 16 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Trials and Guilty Pleas in 16 Cases In this district, 11 of the 16 people (69%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. For manslaughter in all 94 federal districts, 93% pleaded guilty. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, 95% did. The median prison term was 38.5 months after a guilty plea and 54 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 5 people, so it should be read with care. Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. ## Prison Terms in the District The median prison term for the 15 people sent to prison was 40 months. A quarter received 57 months or more, and a quarter received 31.5 months or less. No one received probation only. In all districts, 96% of 743 people were sent to prison for manslaughter, and the median was 63 months. For all offenses in the District of Maryland, the median was 48 months. ## Involuntary and Voluntary Manslaughter "Manslaughter" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, based on the primary guideline in each case. Of the 16 cases, 14 used §2A1.4 (Involuntary Manslaughter) and 2 used §2A1.3 (Voluntary Manslaughter). These cases were less than 1% of the 6,044 people sentenced in the district. ## Sentences Against the Guideline Range The sentence was within the guideline range for 10 people (63%), which is more often than the 45% for manslaughter in all districts. For 1 person (6%) it was below the range at the government's request, and for 3 (19%) it was below the range without a request. For 2 (13%) it was above the range. For all offenses in this district, 31% were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 14 people with that information recorded. ## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History Supervised release was ordered for 15 people (94%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 11 (69%), and no fine was ordered. In criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category and 6% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Year-by-Year Counts and Limits Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 8 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 8\. No year had more than 3 people, so the table cannot show a trend. Yearly medians ranged from 13 months in fiscal year 2021 to 60 months in fiscal years 2016 and 2023. Fort Meade and Joint Base Andrews are in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. It reports terms imposed, not time served, and it cannot show the facts behind any case. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 3 | 60 months | 1 of 3 | | 2017 | 1 | 40 months | 1 of 1 | | 2018 | 2 | 37 months | 2 of 2 | | 2019 | 2 | 53 months | 1 of 2 | | 2020 | 1 | 51 months | 1 of 1 | | 2021 | 2 | 13 months | 1 of 2 | | 2022 | 1 | 42 months | 1 of 1 | | 2023 | 2 | 60 months | 1 of 2 | | 2024 | 2 | 31.5 months | 2 of 2 | ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Maryland (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Maryland") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Manslaughter" (16). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-maryland/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Maryland, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-maryland/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.