Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025
All 50 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of New Hampshire in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 219 months, or 18.2 years. For this offense type in all 94 districts, the median was 180 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2 › Sexual Abuse: District of New Hampshire
In brief: All 50 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the District of New Hampshire in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 219 months, or 18.2 years. For this offense type in all 94 districts, the median was 180 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 50 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 for Every Person Sentenced
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counts 50 people in this district under the offense type "Sexual Abuse." 50 of 50 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median prison term was 219 months. A quarter received 300 months or more, and a quarter received 99 months or less.
In all 94 districts, the Commission counts 12,095 people in this offense type, with more than 99% sent to prison and a median prison term of 180 months. The district's median was higher than that figure. It was also much higher than the 30 months for all offenses in the district.
Mandatory Minimums Applied to Most Cases
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 36 of the 50 people (72%). A mandatory minimum is a floor set by statute for a particular offense.
All 50 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 90 months, and 8 people (16%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for none, and restitution for 15 people (30%).
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
24% of sentences (12 people) were within the guideline range. 46% (23) were below the range at the government's request, 22% (11) were below the range without a government request, and 8% (4) were above the range.
For this offense type in all districts, 41% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the district, the figure was 31%.
Which Guidelines Applied
The Commission's "Sexual Abuse" category in this district was made up mostly of cases sentenced under the guidelines below. §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) was the primary guideline for 35 people. §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor) was the primary guideline for 15.
These cases were 3% of the 1,754 people sentenced in the district. 80% of the group were in criminal history category I, and 6% were in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Pleas and Trials
47 of 50 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. 96% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term was 204 months after a guilty plea and 384 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 3 people, so it shows only what happened in those cases.
Yearly Counts Are Very Small
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 23 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 27. The fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30. Each year has between 2 and 8 people. The yearly median ranges from 72 to 330 months in the table, and with groups this small no single year is a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 96 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 2 | 330 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 8 | 281 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2019 | 6 | 300 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2020 | 2 | 72 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 8 | 225 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2022 | 3 | 108 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 7 | 210 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2024 | 3 | 240 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 90 months | 4 of 4 |
What the Records Cannot Show
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It reports terms imposed, not time served. It does not describe the facts of any case, and it does not show why a sentence was above or below another.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Hampshire (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Hampshire") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (50). 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 New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Hampshire, 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.