Federal Manslaughter Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025
Federal courts in Montana sentenced 41 people for manslaughter between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), shorter than the 63 months reported for this offense type in all 94 districts. A total of 6 sentences (15%) were above the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 › Manslaughter: District of Montana
In brief: Federal courts in Montana sentenced 41 people for manslaughter between fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), shorter than the 63 months reported for this offense type in all 94 districts. A total of 6 sentences (15%) were above the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 41 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.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
Sentences were above the guideline range in 6 of the 41 cases (15%). The other positions were 12 sentences within the range (29%), 9 below the range at the government's request (22%), and 14 below the range without that request (34%).
Across all districts, 45% of manslaughter sentences were within the range. The Montana share within the range, 29%, is lower. For all offenses in Montana, the share within the range was 33%.
Involuntary Versus Voluntary Manslaughter
The Commission groups these cases under the offense type "Manslaughter." Involuntary manslaughter, §2A1.4, was the primary guideline for 28 people. Voluntary manslaughter, §2A1.3, was the primary guideline for 13 people.
Together they were 1% of the 3,524 people sentenced in the district. The offense type has 743 people across the whole country.
Prison Terms and Probation
Of the 41 people, 36 went to prison (88%) and 4 got probation only (10%). The median prison term was 48 months. A quarter received 72 months or more, and a quarter received 18 months or less.
Nationally, 96% of people in this category were sent to prison and the median was 63 months. Montana's overall median across every offense was 40 months.
Guilty Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
Guilty pleas accounted for 38 cases (93%), and trials for 3. Prison terms had a median of 48 months after a plea and 56 months after a trial, though the trial figure covers only 3 people.
Plea agreements were written in 53% of the guilty pleas. The other 47% were straight pleas. No mandatory minimum applied to any of the 41 people with that information recorded.
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Courts ordered restitution for 27 people (66%) and imposed no fines. Supervised release followed prison for 36 people (88%), and the median term was 36 months.
Criminal history category I, the lowest, held 68% of the group, while category VI, the highest, held 0%. The military justice system keeps no equivalent field.
Reading the Yearly Table
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 22 people were sentenced, and in fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 19 were. The busiest year in the table is 2017 with 10 people, and the quietest are 2016 and 2022 with 1 person each. Medians from 15 months to 72 months follow these tiny counts, so no trend can be drawn.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 10 | 72 months | 90% |
| 2018 | 5 | 48 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2019 | 6 | 66 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 3 | 15 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2021 | 4 | 16 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 3 | 36 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 3 | 38 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 5 | 17 months | 5 of 5 |
Boundaries of the Data
Malmstrom AFB, Montana, sits inside the district, but court-martial cases go to military courts and are not part of these totals.
Only convictions that reached sentencing are counted. Terms are the sentences imposed rather than time served. Nothing here describes how any death occurred.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Montana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Montana") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Manslaughter" (41). 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 (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 Montana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Montana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of Montana, 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.