Federal Manslaughter Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
31% of the 95 people sentenced for manslaughter in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence above the advisory guideline range (29 people). The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), close to the 63 months across all 94 federal districts. 92 of the 95 (97%)
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20 › Manslaughter: District of South Dakota
In brief: 31% of the 95 people sentenced for manslaughter in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a sentence above the advisory guideline range (29 people). The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), close to the 63 months across all 94 federal districts. 92 of the 95 (97%) received a prison term.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 95 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 Range
The advisory guideline range is the range a judge calculates for each case. For manslaughter in this district, 44% of sentences (42) were within it, and 31% (29) were above it. 4% (4) were below it at the government's request, and 21% (20) were below it without a government request.
Across all 94 districts, 45% of manslaughter sentences were within the range, and 57% were within it for all offenses in this district.
Prison Terms
Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 103.5 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. 3 people (3%) received probation only. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
Across all 94 districts, 743 people were sentenced for manslaughter, 96% were sent to prison, and the median was 63 months. In this district the median was 60 months, about the same.
Voluntary and Involuntary Manslaughter Guidelines
The Commission's category "Manslaughter" had 95 people here, 2% of the 5,041 sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2A1.4 (Involuntary Manslaughter), used in 57 cases. §2A1.3 (Voluntary Manslaughter) was used in 38.
The records do not break down medians by guideline.
Guilty Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
91 of 95 (96%) pleaded guilty, and 4 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 54.5 months after a guilty plea and 78 months after a trial, based on 4 people.
98% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 of the 94 people with that information recorded (4%).
More Cases in Recent Years
23 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 72 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly count was 21 in fiscal year 2024 and 15 in fiscal year 2025, and 4 to 11 in each earlier year.
Yearly medians range from 33 months in fiscal year 2016 to 84 months in fiscal year 2023. The records do not show what drove the change in counts or medians.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 33 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 6 | 45 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 7 | 37 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2019 | 6 | 66.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 8 | 52 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2021 | 11 | 34 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 9 | 65 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2023 | 8 | 84 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 21 | 57 months | 90% |
| 2025 | 15 | 83 months | 93% |
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Restitution was ordered for 43 people (45%), and a fine for 2 (2%). 90 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category I and 2% in the highest VI.
What the Records Cannot Show
Only people convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal figures.
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 "Manslaughter" (95). 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.