Federal Other Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
68 people were sentenced in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under the Commission's offense type Other. 38 (56%) received a prison term and 29 (43%) received probation only. The median prison term was 7.3 months, compared with 0.2 months for all 94 federal districts.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Other Offense: District of New Mexico
In brief: 68 people were sentenced in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under the Commission's offense type Other. 38 (56%) received a prison term and 29 (43%) received probation only. The median prison term was 7.3 months, compared with 0.2 months for all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 68 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 the Offense Type Other Means
The U.S. Sentencing Commission uses Other for cases that do not fit its named offense types. It is not a single crime. The guidelines show the mix. §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)) was listed for 14 cases.
§2D1.7 (Unlawful Sale or Transportation of Drug Paraphernalia) and §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant) were listed for 3 cases each. §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge) was listed for 2.
Probation Only Was Common
29 of the 68 people (43%) received probation only. Nationally, 38% of people in this type were sent to prison, compared with 56% here.
Among the 38 sent to prison, a quarter received 17 months or more, and a quarter received 1 month or less. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 38 people with that information recorded.
All 68 Pleaded Guilty
68 of 68 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Nationally, 98% pleaded guilty. Among guilty pleas here, 85% had a written plea agreement and 13% were straight pleas.
These cases were less than 1% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the district. For all offenses here, the median prison term was 3.5 months.
Sentences Within the Guideline Range
Of the 56 people with this information, 48 (86%) were within the guideline range. 5 (9%) were below it at the government's request, and 1 (2%) was below it without a request. 2 (4%) were above it.
Nationally, 90% of sentences in this type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 59%.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
34 people (50%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 15 (22%), and restitution for 4 (6%).
56% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 5% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Most Cases Come From the Early Years
54 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 14 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years begin on October 1, so they do not match calendar years.
The table lists 17 people in 2018 and 1 person in each of 2022 and 2025. Some years show n/a for the median. The records do not explain the entries, and counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 5.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2017 | 16 | 3.5 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 17 | 12.8 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 15 | 2.6 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 8 | 12 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | 8.1 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6.5 months | 1 of 1 |
Limits of the Data
This post covers federal cases only. The district contains Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB, and courts-martial are tried in military courts. Because Other is a mixed category, its numbers cannot be read as describing one kind of case. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (68). 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 District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of New Mexico, 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.