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# Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-other-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:14:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:14:11.000Z
- Description: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 14 people were sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type. Of them, 10 (71%) received probation only, and 4 (29%) received a prison term. In all 94 federal districts, 38% of people in this offense type were sen
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) › Other Offense: Southern District of Alabama

**In brief:** In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 14 people were sentenced in the Southern District of Alabama in the U.S. Sentencing Commission's "Other" offense type. Of them, 10 (71%) received probation only, and 4 (29%) received a prison term. In all 94 federal districts, 38% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## What Is the "Other" Offense Type?

"Other" is a catch-all category in the Commission's data. It holds cases whose main sentencing guideline does not fit the named offense types, so it does not describe one kind of crime.

In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge), with 8 cases. The guideline §2D1.11 applied in 2 cases (Unlawfully Distributing, Importing, Exporting or Possessing a Listed Chemical).

One case each fell under §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant) and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).

## Probation Only Was the Usual Sentence

Probation only, with no prison or other confinement, went to 10 of the 14 people. A prison term went to 4.

The sheet lists a median prison term of 0 months, and the same figure for both guilty pleas and the one trial conviction. A quarter of the group received 9.3 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.

Across all 94 districts, 9,918 people were sentenced in this offense type, and the median prison term was 0.2 months. The median for all offenses in the Southern District of Alabama was 41 months.

## Pleas and a Single Trial

A total of 13 of the 14 people (93%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas with no agreement.

Across all 94 districts, 98% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district the figure was 97%.

## Sentences Within the Guideline Range

Sentences were within the guideline range for 79% of the group (11 people). In 2 cases (14%), the sentence was below the range without a government request, and 1 person (7%) was below it at the government's request. None were above the range.

In all 94 districts, 90% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, which was higher than here. For all offenses in this district the figure was 56%. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 person (7%).

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release after prison was ordered for 3 people (21%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 people (21%), and restitution for 1 (7%).

In criminal history, 79% were in the lowest category and 0% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Small Yearly Counts

These cases were less than 1% of the 2,994 people sentenced in this district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 4 people.

Fiscal year 2016 had 5 people and fiscal year 2018 had 4\. Every other listed year had 1\. A median prison term is not available for several years, so the table does not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 5                | 0 months      | 5 of 5         |
| 2018        | 4                | 37 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2019        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |
| 2020        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |
| 2021        | 1                | 0 months      | 0 of 1         |
| 2024        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |
| 2025        | 1                | n/a           | 1 of 1         |

## Limits of the Records

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

The records do not show the facts of any case. This post reports federal numbers on their own.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (14). 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.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.