Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
32 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for prison offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 32 pleaded guilty. 23 (72%) received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, lower than the 10 months across all 94 districts. 84% of sentences were within the guideline range.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Prison Offense: District of New Jersey
In brief: 32 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for prison offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 32 pleaded guilty. 23 (72%) received a prison term, with a median of 6 months, lower than the 10 months across all 94 districts. 84% of sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 32 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 and Contraband Cases
The Sentencing Commission's "Prison Offenses" type covers crimes tied to confinement. In this district, 17 people were sentenced mainly under §2P1.2 (Providing or Possessing Contraband in Prison), and 13 under §2P1.1 (Escape, Instigating or Assisting Escape).
The group was less than 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Prison, Probation, and the Prison Term
23 of the 32 people (72%) received a prison term, and 7 (22%) received probation only. The median prison term was 6 months. A quarter received 13.5 months or more, and a quarter received 5.4 months or less.
For all 94 districts, 96% of people in this offense type were sent to prison, and the median was 10 months. Both figures were higher nationally. For all offenses in this district, the median prison term was 37 months.
Most Sentences Fell Within the Range
For 31 people, the position against the guideline range is recorded. 84% (26) were within the range. 3% (1) were below it at the government's request, 10% (3) were below it without a request, and 3% (1) were above it.
Across all 94 districts, 63% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the district, 37% were.
A mandatory minimum applied to 0 of the 31 people with that information recorded.
Pleas and Agreements
All 32 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. 78% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 22% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Across all 94 districts, 99% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 97%.
Supervised Release and Fines
16 people (50%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 people (9%), and restitution for none.
Prior Record
26% of the group had the least prior record (criminal history category I), and 29% had the most (category VI). Court-martial records do not carry this measure.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 15 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 17. Fiscal year 2016 had 9 people, and other years had 2 to 5.
With groups this small, a median can move on one case. The table does not show a trend, and years with no row had no people in this category.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 5.9 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2017 | 2 | 3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 6 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 16.4 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 4 | 8 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2022 | 5 | 10.7 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 2 | 33 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 months | 3 of 3 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Anyone acquitted or whose case was dismissed is missing, and the terms shown are those imposed, not those served.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is in New Jersey. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and this post reports federal numbers only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Prison Offenses" (32). 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 New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, 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.