Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
36 people were sentenced in the "Prison Offenses" category in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 34 (94%) received a prison term, and the median was 2 months. 33 of the 36 were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019.
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In brief: 36 people were sentenced in the "Prison Offenses" category in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. 34 (94%) received a prison term, and the median was 2 months. 33 of the 36 were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 36 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.
Almost All Cases Came in Fiscal Years 2016 to 2019
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 33 people in this category, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 3 people. The Commission data for this district ends with fiscal year 2023 for this category.
The table shows 23 people in 2017 and no more than 6 in any other year. The records do not show why the count was so much higher in one year, and the table is not evidence of a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 3 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 23 | 1 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 6 | 5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2020 | 1 | 4 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 27 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 41 months | 1 of 1 |
Contraband and Escape
The Commission data names these primary guidelines: §2P1.2 (Providing or Possessing Contraband in Prison), with 16 people, and §2P1.1 (Escape, Instigating or Assisting Escape), with 11 people.
These cases were 2% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The Commission's "Prison Offenses" type covers crimes tied to prison custody.
Short Prison Terms
34 of the 36 people (94%) received a prison term. The median was 2 months. A quarter received 5.5 months or more, and a quarter received 1 months or less. None received probation only.
For all 94 districts, 96% of people in this offense type went to prison, and the median was 10 months. The median here was lower. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Among the 30 people with the information, 19 (63%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 5 (17%) were below the range at the government's request, 4 (13%) were below it without a government request, and 2 (7%) were above it.
The all-district figure for within-range sentences was 63%, which is the same as here. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 33 people with that information recorded.
Pleas
All 36 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. The all-district rate was 99%.
Written plea agreements covered 69% of the guilty pleas, and 31% were straight pleas.
Supervised Release and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 14 people (39%), with a median of 36 months. The records show no fines and no restitution.
In criminal history, 0% were in the lowest category, category I, and 15% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Maxwell AFB and Limits
This district includes Maxwell AFB, Alabama, which is listed in the court-martial data on this site. A court-martial is a military proceeding and is not heard in this federal district court.
Anyone acquitted or whose case was dismissed is absent from these counts. The terms reported were ordered by the court, and the records do not show time actually served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Prison Offenses" (36). 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 Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, 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.