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# Federal Manslaughter Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-manslaughter-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:17:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:17:28.000Z
- Description: The District of North Dakota sentenced 23 people for manslaughter offenses in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and the median prison term was 62 months (5.2 years). That is close to the national median of 63 months for the same offense type. Sentences were above the guideline range for 48% of the people,
- 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 North Dakota, FY2016–20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) › Manslaughter: District of North Dakota

**In brief:** The District of North Dakota sentenced 23 people for manslaughter offenses in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and the median prison term was 62 months (5.2 years). That is close to the national median of 63 months for the same offense type. Sentences were above the guideline range for 48% of the people, which is more often than within it.

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 23 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/).

## A Median Prison Term of 62 Months

All 23 people sentenced for manslaughter in this district received a prison term. None received probation only. The median prison term was 62 months (5.2 years), a quarter received 121 months or more, and a quarter received 54 months or less.

The Sentencing Commission's data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced. It does not include acquittals or dismissals, and the terms listed are the terms imposed, not time served.

## Sentences Above the Guideline Range

Of the 23 people, 48% (11) received a sentence above the guideline range. Another 43% (10) were within the range. 4% (1) were below the range at the government's request, and 4% (1) were below the range without a government request.

For all offenses in this district, 34% of sentences were within the guideline range. Across all 94 districts, 45% of manslaughter sentences were within the range. In this district the share within the range was 43%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 22 people with that information recorded (5%).

## Which Guidelines Were Used

"Manslaughter" is the Commission's own offense type. The cases fall under these primary guidelines: §2A1.4 (Involuntary Manslaughter) with 14 people, and §2A1.3 (Voluntary Manslaughter) with 9 people.

The sheet does not give prison terms for each guideline separately. The median of 62 months therefore covers both guidelines of manslaughter together.

## Nearly Everyone Pleaded Guilty

22 of the 23 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 67 months after a guilty plea and 51 months after the trial. The trial figure rests on a single person and cannot be compared with the plea figure.

Among the guilty pleas, 91% had a written plea agreement and 9% were straight pleas with no agreement. Across all offenses in the district, 97% pleaded guilty. Across all 94 districts, 93% of manslaughter cases ended in a guilty plea.

## After Prison: Supervised Release and Restitution

All 23 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 22 people (96%). No fine was ordered for anyone.

In criminal history, 70% were in category I, and 4% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this detail has no counterpart there.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

9 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 14 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The yearly counts are 1 to 5 people, so the table below shows small groups, and a single case can move a median a long way. These figures do not establish a trend.

The fiscal year runs from October through September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2017        | 5                | 60 months     | 5 of 5         |
| 2018        | 3                | 51 months     | 2 of 3         |
| 2019        | 1                | 120 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 2                | 69 months     | 2 of 2         |
| 2022        | 4                | 58.5 months   | 4 of 4         |
| 2023        | 4                | 119 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2024        | 1                | 57 months     | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 3                | 168 months    | 3 of 3         |

## What the Data Does Not Cover

Manslaughter was less than 1% of the 3,337 people sentenced in the district over the period. Grand Forks AFB and Minot AFB are in the district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.

The records do not describe the facts of any case, the reasons for a sentence above the range, or the time actually served.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of North Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "North Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Manslaughter" (23). 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](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 North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-north-dakota/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Assault Sentences in the District of North Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-north-dakota/) (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.