> ## 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 National Defense Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-national-defense-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:02:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:02:40.000Z - Description: Of the 119 people sentenced for national defense offenses in the Northern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 114 (96%) received probation only, and 5 (4%) received a prison term. In all 94 federal districts, 84% of this offense type were sent to prison. The district's pattern differs - 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-alabama/) › National Defense Offense: Northern District of Alabama **In brief:** Of the 119 people sentenced for national defense offenses in the Northern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 114 (96%) received probation only, and 5 (4%) received a prison term. In all 94 federal districts, 84% of this offense type were sent to prison. The district's pattern differs from the national one, and the records show 49 of the 119 people were sentenced in fiscal year 2025. 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 119 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/). ## Probation Only Was the Usual Result Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, was given to 114 of the 119 people (96%). A prison term was given to 5 (4%). In all 94 districts, 2,236 people were sentenced for national defense offenses. Of those, 84% were sent to prison and the median prison term was 24 months. The district's numbers are different, but the group sent to prison here is only 5 people. A median from 5 people is a weak basis for comparison. ## Prison Terms for the 5 People Among the 5 sent to prison, the median prison term was 60 months (5 years). A quarter received 90 months or more, and a quarter received 16 months or less. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 4 people (3%), with a median term of 36 months. One person (less than 1%) received supervised release for life. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 5 people with that information recorded. ## Fines Instead of Prison A fine was ordered for 115 of the 119 people (97%). Restitution was ordered for 1 person (less than 1%). The records do not show the amounts or the charges behind the fines. The fine count is close to the count of people who received probation only. ## A Large Share of Cases in Fiscal Year 2025 The yearly table shows 49 people in fiscal year 2025, the highest count in the table. Earlier years have between 2 and 17 people. In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 12 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 107 were sentenced. The federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends at the end of September. Most yearly medians are marked n/a. The listed medians are 180 months in 2018, 16 months in 2019, 90 months in 2022, and 30 months in 2025. The records cannot show what kinds of cases made up the 2025 count. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 | | 2017 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 | | 2018 | 5 | 180 months | 5 of 5 | | 2019 | 3 | 16 months | 3 of 3 | | 2020 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 | | 2021 | 12 | n/a | 100% | | 2022 | 13 | 90 months | 100% | | 2023 | 13 | n/a | 100% | | 2024 | 17 | n/a | 100% | | 2025 | 49 | 30 months | 100% | ## Which Guidelines Appear "National Defense" is the offense type that the U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns from each case's primary guideline. The records list 4 guidelines with 1 person each. They are §2M5.3 (Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose), §2M5.2 (Exportation of Arms, Munitions, or Military Equipment or Services Without Required Validated Export License), §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and §2M5.1 (Evasion of Export Controls). The records do not list a primary guideline for the remaining people. National defense cases were 3% of the 4,557 people sentenced in the district. ## Pleas, Guideline Range, and Criminal History All 119 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 3% had a written plea agreement and 24% were straight pleas with no agreement. Those percentages do not cover every plea. The sentence was within the guideline range for 97% (116) of the 119 people, and below the range at the government's request for 3% (3). Nationally, 36% of sentences in this category were within the range, and for all offenses in this district it was 56%. On criminal history, 98% were in the lowest category, category I, and 2% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "National Defense" (119). 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-northern-district-of-alabama/) (overview) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-northern-district-of-alabama/) (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.