> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-prison-offenses-sentences-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:01:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:01:00.000Z - Description: Prison offenses were 5% of the 4,067 people sentenced in the Middle District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 203 people. 56% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 10 months across all 94 districts. - 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 Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) › Prison Offense: Middle District of Pennsylvania **In brief:** Prison offenses were 5% of the 4,067 people sentenced in the Middle District of Pennsylvania in fiscal years 2016 to 2025: 203 people. 56% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 12 months, compared with 10 months across all 94 districts. 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 203 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/). ## Most Sentences Were Below the Range at the Government's Request Below the guideline range at the government's request were 56% of the 203 cases (113 people). Within the range were 37% (75 people), and below the range without a government request were 7% (15 people). None was above the range. For this offense type across all districts, 63% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 47%. The records do not say what the government requested or why. ## Prison Terms 193 of the 203 people (95%) received a prison term, and 9 (4%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Across all districts, 96% were sent to prison. The median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 18 months or more, and a quarter received 4 months or less. The national median for this offense type was 10 months. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months. These are sentences as imposed, and they say nothing about time served. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 4 | 27 months | 4 of 4 | | 2017 | 14 | 15 months | 93% | | 2018 | 22 | 18 months | 95% | | 2019 | 14 | 13.5 months | 100% | | 2020 | 14 | 15.7 months | 100% | | 2021 | 15 | 12 months | 100% | | 2022 | 37 | 2 months | 97% | | 2023 | 26 | 12 months | 96% | | 2024 | 26 | 6 months | 92% | | 2025 | 31 | 12 months | 100% | ## Contraband and Escape Guidelines "Prison Offenses" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, grouped by the primary sentencing guideline. §2P1.2 (Providing or Possessing Contraband in Prison) was listed for 143 people. §2P1.1 (Escape, Instigating or Assisting Escape) was listed for 22. Across all 94 districts, the Commission recorded 4,976 people in this offense type. ## Guilty Pleas 197 of 203 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 99% pleaded guilty. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 12 months. After a trial it was 30 months, based on 6 people. A written plea agreement was part of 74% of the guilty pleas. Straight pleas, with no agreement, were 22%. ## Supervised Release and Other Terms Supervised release followed prison for 26 people (13%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 24 people (12%). Restitution was ordered for 1 person, which is less than 1%. No mandatory minimum prison term applied to any of the 179 people with that information recorded (0%). Only 4% were in the lowest criminal history category I, and 23% were in the highest, category VI. Courts-martial keep no such field. ## Counts by Year Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 54 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 149\. The largest year is 2022, with 37 people and a median of 2 months. The smallest is 2016, with 4 people and a median of 27 months. Yearly medians range from 2 months to 27 months and do not move in one direction. The records do not show a trend. ## Limits of This Count The data leaves out anyone not convicted. It also gives no account of the events behind a case. ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Penn. Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Prison Offenses" (203). 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](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 Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-pennsylvania/) (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.