Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025
31 people were sentenced for prison offenses in the District of Nebraska in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and all 31 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 10 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 30 of the 31 cases used the es
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 › Prison Offense: District of Nebraska
In brief: 31 people were sentenced for prison offenses in the District of Nebraska in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, and all 31 pleaded guilty and received a prison term. The median prison term was 15 months, compared with 10 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 30 of the 31 cases used the escape guideline.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 31 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.
Escape Was the Main Charge
"Prison Offenses" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type for crimes tied to federal custody. In this district, 30 of the 31 cases used §2P1.1 (Escape, Instigating or Assisting Escape). The other case used §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
Prison offenses made up less than 1% of the 4,887 sentencing cases in the district. The period for this offense type starts in fiscal year 2017.
Prison Terms Were Longer Than the Nationwide Median
All 31 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median was 15 months. A quarter received 19 months or more, and a quarter received 9 months or less.
For this offense type in all districts, 96% were sent to prison and the median was 10 months. The median for all offenses in the District of Nebraska was 57 months, which is higher than the figure for these cases.
Every Case Ended in a Guilty Plea
All 31 people pleaded guilty, and none were convicted after a trial. 58% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 42% were straight pleas with no agreement.
In all districts, more than 99% pleaded guilty in this offense type, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 97%. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 31 people.
Within the Guideline Range More Often Than Not
21 people (68%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 3 (10%) were below it at the government's request, and 6 (19%) were below it without a government request. 1 person (3%) was above it.
For this offense type in all districts, 63% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, it was 48%.
A Few Cases Each Year
Each fiscal year in the yearly table has between 1 and 6 people, and fiscal year 2018 has no row. The fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends at the close of September. 3 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 28 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025 each had 6 people, with medians of 15 months, 10 months, and 16.5 months. Groups of this size do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 13.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 15 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 1 | 30 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | 8 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 5 | 15 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 6 | 15 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 6 | 10 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2025 | 6 | 16.5 months | 6 of 6 |
After Prison and Prior Record
Supervised release followed prison for 29 people (94%), with a median term of 36 months. The data lists 0 fines and 0 restitution orders.
Criminal history category I held 0% of the people, while category VI held 58%. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Limits of These Figures
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed cannot be counted here. Each prison term is the term the court imposed, and actual time served may differ.
Offutt AFB, Nebraska, lies in this district. Military trials happen in military courts, so these numbers do not describe them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Nebraska (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Nebraska") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Prison Offenses" (31). 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 Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Nebraska, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Nebraska, 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.