Federal Other Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
55 people were sentenced in the Commission's catch-all offense type "Other" in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 35 (64%) received a prison term and 19 (35%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 0.2 months across all 94 federal distric
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20 › Other Offense: District of South Dakota
In brief: 55 people were sentenced in the Commission's catch-all offense type "Other" in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 35 (64%) received a prison term and 19 (35%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 0.2 months across all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 55 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 "Other" Means in the Commission's Data
"Other" is the label for cases that do not fit the Commission's named offense types, so it is a mixed group. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), used in 9 cases.
§2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) were each used in 5 cases. §2D3.1 (Regulatory Offenses Involving Registration Numbers) was used in 1. These cases are 1% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms Were Longer Than the National Median
Across all 94 districts, 9,918 people were sentenced in this type, 38% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 0.2 months. In this district, prison was more common (64%) and the median was 12 months.
A quarter of those sent to prison received 27 months or more, and a quarter received 3 months or less. For all offenses in the district, the median was 36 months.
Almost All Sentences Were Within the Range
The advisory guideline range was recorded for 50 people. 94% of sentences (47) were within it. 1 was below it at the government's request, 1 was below it without a government request, and 1 was above it.
Across all 94 districts, 90% of sentences for this type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 57%.
Pleas, Trials, and Mandatory Minimums
52 of 55 (95%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 12.5 months after a guilty plea and 5 months after a trial, based on 3 people.
94% of guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 46 people with that information recorded.
Yearly Counts Are Very Small
30 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 25 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal year 2019 had the most, with 14 people. Every other year had between 3 and 7 people.
Yearly medians range from 5 months to 78 months. The 78 months in fiscal year 2018 rests on 4 people. These figures describe a handful of sentences and do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 12 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2017 | 6 | 5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 4 | 78 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 14 | 5.5 months | 86% |
| 2020 | 4 | 21 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 4 | 30 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2022 | 3 | 16 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 7 | 6 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 4 | 24 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 3 | 14 months | 3 of 3 |
Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History
31 people (56%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 24 months. A fine was ordered for 1 (2%), and restitution for 5 (9%).
In criminal history, 67% were in the lowest category I and 0% in the highest VI.
Limits of the Records
The records give no facts about any case. They count only people convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are missing. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (55). 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 South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, 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.