Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025
Of 13 people sentenced under the Commission's offense type "Other" in the Western District of Tennessee, 7 (54%) received a prison term and 4 (31%) received probation only. The median prison term was 36 months. In all 94 federal districts, 38% of these cases ended in prison.
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In brief: Of 13 people sentenced under the Commission's offense type "Other" in the Western District of Tennessee, 7 (54%) received a prison term and 4 (31%) received probation only. The median prison term was 36 months. In all 94 federal districts, 38% of these cases ended in prison.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 13 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
"Other" is a catch-all category used by the U.S. Sentencing Commission for cases that do not fit its named offense types. It does not describe one kind of conduct, so the numbers mix different kinds of cases.
The most common primary guideline was §2X5.2 (Class A Misdemeanors (Not Covered by Another Specific Offense Guideline)), with 5 people. Next was §2D1.11 (Unlawfully Distributing, Importing, Exporting or Possessing a Listed Chemical), with 3.
One person each was sentenced under §2D2.2 (Acquiring a Controlled Substance by Forgery, Fraud, Deception, or Subterfuge) and §2A5.2 (Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant). The offense type has a data period of fiscal years 2016 to 2023.
Prison and Probation
Of the 13 people, 7 (54%) received a prison term and 4 (31%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. For all districts together, 38% were sent to prison, so prison was more common here.
Among those sent to prison, the median term was 36 months (3 years). A quarter received 67.5 months or more.
The median prison term for all districts was 0.2 months. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 7 people (54%), with a median term of 12 months.
Pleas and the One Trial
There were 12 guilty pleas (92%) and 1 conviction after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 49.5 months.
The one person convicted after a trial has a median of 0 months, so a single case cannot be compared with the pleas.
Among guilty pleas, 92% had a written plea agreement and 8% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The Guideline Range
Information on the range was available for 12 people. For 50% (6), the sentence was within the range.
It was below the range at the government's request for 25% (3) and below it without a government request for 8% (1). Above the range were 17% (2).
For all districts, 90% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, a higher share than here. A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 11 people with that information recorded.
Fines and Criminal History
A fine was ordered for 3 people (23%), and no restitution was ordered. The lowest criminal history category, category I, applied to 58% of people. The highest, category VI, applied to 25%.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,226 people sentenced in the district in the period.
Counts by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 5 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years run from October 1 through the end of September.
Yearly counts were 1 to 5 people, so the yearly medians are not trends.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 72 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 months | 0 of 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 36 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 months | 5 of 5 |
Limits of the Records
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Dismissals and acquittals are not in the data.
Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served, and the data does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Tennessee (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Tennessee West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Other" (13). 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 Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of Tennessee, 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.