Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for the 89 people sent to prison for sexual abuse offenses in the District of Kansas, fiscal years 2016 to 2025, was 285 months (23.8 years). For all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 74 of the 91 peo
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of Kansas
In brief: The median prison term for the 89 people sent to prison for sexual abuse offenses in the District of Kansas, fiscal years 2016 to 2025, was 285 months (23.8 years). For all 94 federal districts together, the median for this offense type was 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 74 of the 91 people with that information recorded (81%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 91 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.
Long Prison Terms Were the Norm in This District
The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 91 people sentenced in the District of Kansas under its offense type "Sexual Abuse" in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of these, 89 (98%) received a prison term, and 2 (2%) received probation only.
The median prison term among those sent to prison was 285 months. A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 180 months or less. One person received a life sentence.
The median for the offense type in all 94 federal districts was 180 months, so the Kansas median was higher. The median for all offenses in the District of Kansas was 46 months.
Which Guidelines Account for Most Cases?
The offense type is the Commission's own category, based on the main guideline used at sentencing. It is not one statute.
The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 65 cases. Next were §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor) with 20, §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) with 5, and §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) with 1.
The district's totals therefore mostly describe cases under the guidelines at the top of that list.
Mandatory Minimums and Plea Agreements
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 74 of the 91 people with that information recorded (81%).
A total of 84 people (92%) pleaded guilty, and 7 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 261 months after a guilty plea and 292 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 7 people, so it is a small group.
Among the guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement and 4% were straight pleas. For all districts, guilty pleas in this offense type were 90%, and for all offenses in the District of Kansas they were 97%.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range: 39 people (43%). Below the range at the government's request: 34 (37%). Below the range without a government request: 15 (16%). Above the range: 3 (3%).
Across all districts, 41% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Kansas, the figure was 42%.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 89 people (98%). The median term was 120 months, and 6 people (7%) received supervised release for life.
No fine was ordered in any case (0%). Restitution was ordered for 42 people (46%).
On criminal history, 64% were in the lowest category, category I, and 4% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
These cases were 2% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. There were 36 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 55 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
The table shows each year in the sheet. Yearly counts range from 3 to 18 people, which is small, so a change in the median from one year to the next is not a trend. The table has no row for fiscal year 2020.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 | 232 months | 6 of 8 |
| 2017 | 9 | 180 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2018 | 9 | 180 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2019 | 10 | 234 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 6 | 153 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2022 | 3 | 336 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 15 | 300 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 13 | 292.5 months | 77% |
| 2025 | 18 | 360 months | 94% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. The prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The records do not explain why the district's median is higher than the national median. Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and these numbers do not describe them.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (91). 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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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 Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.