Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
Nearly all federal "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" cases in the Northern District of Alabama involved one guideline. §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender) was the primary guideline for 28 of the 29 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2022. Of the 29, 28 (97%) received a prison term, and
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In brief: Nearly all federal "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" cases in the Northern District of Alabama involved one guideline. §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender) was the primary guideline for 28 of the 29 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2022. Of the 29, 28 (97%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 19.5 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 29 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.
What This Offense Type Mostly Contains in This District
The Sentencing Commission's category "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" is broad. In this district, the primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender) for 28 people. For the remaining person, it was §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter).
The category name therefore does not describe most of the cases here. The records list the guideline and the sentence for each person. They do not describe the underlying facts.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,557 people sentenced in this district from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2025. The people counted here were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2022.
Prison Terms
Of the 29 people, 28 (97%) received a prison term, and 1 (3%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 19.5 months. A quarter received 31 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less.
Across all 94 federal districts, 95% of people sentenced in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 18 months. The share sent to prison here was about the same, and the median prison term was slightly higher.
For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 46 months. The median for this offense type was lower.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Of the 29 people, 20 (69%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 5 (17%) were sentenced below the range without a government request, and 1 (3%) was sentenced below it at the government's request. 3 people (10%) were sentenced above the range.
Across all districts, 54% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the share was 56%. The share within the range here was higher than both.
Supervised Release
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 28 people (97%), and the median term was 60 months. Lifetime supervised release was ordered for 6 people (21%).
Neither a fine nor restitution was ordered for any of the 29 people. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 person (3%).
Pleas and Criminal History
Of the 29 people, 28 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 82% had a written plea agreement and 18% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 18 months. After a trial it was 60 months, but that figure rests on 1 person and cannot be compared with pleas.
In criminal history, 14% were in the lowest category and 7% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year and Limits of the Records
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 22 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 7. The table shows the years with cases, from 1 to 9 people each. Fiscal year runs from October through September.
These counts are small and do not show a trend. The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it, and prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 37.5 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2017 | 5 | 27 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2018 | 9 | 17 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2019 | 4 | 13.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 6 | 22.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 1 | 54 months | 1 of 1 |
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 "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (29). 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 Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Alabama, 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.