Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
Of 16 people sentenced under the "Other" offense type in the Northern District of Indiana, 10 (63%) received a prison term and 6 (38%) received probation only. The median prison term was 31.5 months (2.6 years). In all 94 federal districts, 38% of people in this category were sent to prison.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY201 › Other Offense: Northern District of Indiana
In brief: Of 16 people sentenced under the "Other" offense type in the Northern District of Indiana, 10 (63%) received a prison term and 6 (38%) received probation only. The median prison term was 31.5 months (2.6 years). In all 94 federal districts, 38% of people in this category were sent to prison.
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.
Who Is in the "Other" Category
The Commission's "Other" offense type collects cases that do not fit its named categories. In the Northern District of Indiana, the first line of the sheet gives the period as fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and the yearly table has rows for only some of those years.
The most common primary guideline was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), with 8 people. Next was §2D1.11 (Unlawfully Distributing, Importing, Exporting or Possessing a Listed Chemical), with 6 people. One person each was sentenced under §2D1.13 (Structuring Chemical Transactions or Creating a Chemical Mixture to Evade Reporting or Recordkeeping Requirements) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Prison Compared With Probation
10 of the 16 people (63%) were sentenced to prison, and 6 (38%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Nationally, 38% of people in this category were sent to prison, so the district's share was higher.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 31.5 months. A quarter received 78.8 months or more, and a quarter received 15.8 months or less. The national median for the category was 0.2 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 51 months.
All Pleaded Guilty
All 16 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. Nationally, 98% pleaded guilty. Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement.
No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 16 people.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Sentences within the guideline range were 50% (8 people). Below the range at the government's request were 25% (4 people), and below the range without a request were 19% (3 people). Above the range were 6% (1 person).
In all 94 districts, 90% of sentences in this category were within the range. For all offenses in the Northern District of Indiana, the figure was 47%.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 2.8 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 5 | 63 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 7 | 27 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2020 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 84 months | 1 of 1 |
Supervision, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release followed prison for 10 people (63%), with a median term of 18 months. No fine was ordered, and restitution was ordered for 2 people (13%).
In criminal history, 38% were in the lowest category, category I, and 6% were in the highest, category VI.
Counts by Year and Limits
These cases were less than 1% of the 3,085 people sentenced in the district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 13 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 3 people. The yearly count was 7 people in fiscal year 2019 and 1 person in most other years.
Yearly counts are too small to show a trend. The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (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 Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, 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.