Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025
Of the 16 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2023, 13 had failure to register as a sex offender as the primary guideline. The median prison term was 19 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. All 16 p
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In brief: Of the 16 people sentenced for obscenity or other sex offenses in the Western District of Louisiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2023, 13 had failure to register as a sex offender as the primary guideline. The median prison term was 19 months, compared with 18 months in all 94 federal districts. All 16 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 16 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.
Failure to Register Was the Main Guideline
The Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses category is the Commission's, and it is assigned from the primary guideline. §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender) was the primary guideline for 13 people. §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter) was the primary guideline for 3.
These cases were less than 1% of the 3,011 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison Terms
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 16 people in this category. Of these, 14 (88%) received a prison term, and 2 (13%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 19 months. A quarter received 33.8 months or more, and a quarter received 10.5 months or less.
Across all districts, 3,595 people were sentenced in this category, 95% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 18 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 60 months.
Supervised Release After Prison
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 14 people (88%). The median term was 60 months, and 1 person (6%) received supervised release for life.
No fine (0%) and no restitution (0%) was ordered.
Pleas and the Guideline Range
All 16 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and 0 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 100% had a written plea agreement. In all districts, 99% pleaded guilty in this category.
Of the 16 people with guideline information, 10 (63%) were sentenced within the range, and 6 (38%) were below it without a government request. 0 were below the range at the government's request, and 0 were above it.
In all districts, 54% of sentences in this category were within the range. The share here was higher. For all offenses in this district, it was 67%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 16 people with that information recorded (0%).
Criminal History
In criminal history, 13% were in the lowest category (category I), and 13% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Cases Became Fewer After 2019
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 3. The table has rows only for fiscal years 2016 to 2021 and 2023. With counts of 1 to 6 per year, the table is not enough to call a trend, and the records do not show why counts were lower later.
Fiscal years begin October 1.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 19 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2017 | 3 | 40.5 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2018 | 2 | 27 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 9.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | 37 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 7.8 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
Installations and Limits
Barksdale AFB and Fort Polk are in this district. Their courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Louisiana West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (16). 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 Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, 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.