Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
37 people were sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas in the "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 36 (97%) received a prison term, with a median of 27 months. That median is higher than the 18 months for all 94 districts.
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In brief: 37 people were sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas in the "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 36 (97%) received a prison term, with a median of 27 months. That median is higher than the 18 months for all 94 districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 37 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.
Mostly Failure to Register Cases
The U.S. Sentencing Commission groups several offenses into this category. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 33 of the 37 people.
The other 4 people had §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter) as the primary guideline.
These cases were 2% of the 2,185 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison Terms
The median prison term was 27 months, or 2.2 years. A quarter received 33.8 months or more, and a quarter received 15.8 months or less.
For all districts, 95% of people in this category went to prison, and the median was 18 months. In this district, the figures were 97% and 27 months. The records list 1 person without a prison term and none with probation only.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
Sentences above the guideline range were 24% of the total (9 people). Within-range sentences were 68% (25 people), and below-range sentences without a government request were 8% (3 people). No sentence was below the range at the government's request.
For all districts, 54% of sentences in this category were within the range, which is lower than the 68% here.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 37 people.
Criminal History
In criminal history, 22% were in the highest category, category VI, and 16% were in the lowest, category I.
Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so this cannot be compared with military cases.
Pleas, Supervised Release, and Fines
36 of 37 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 27 months after a guilty plea and 24 months after a trial, but the trial figure rests on 1 person.
Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement.
36 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months, and 1 person (3%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 10 people (27%), and restitution for 1 person (3%).
Yearly Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 11 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 26 people. The table has no row for 2018.
Yearly counts range from 2 to 7 people, and the medians range from 13 months to 42 months. These counts are small, so the table does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 24 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 4 | 20 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 2 | 13 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 42 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 7 | 27 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 6 | 33 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2023 | 3 | 21 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 3 | 37 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 5 | 32 months | 5 of 5 |
Limits
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not included. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
The records do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (37). 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 Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Arkansas, 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.