Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025
In the District of Oregon, 114 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Sexual Abuse" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 113 received a prison term. The median prison term was 168 months (14 years), which is lower than the 180 months in all 94 federal districts together. The number sentenc
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 › Sexual Abuse: District of Oregon
In brief: In the District of Oregon, 114 people were sentenced in the Commission's "Sexual Abuse" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 113 received a prison term. The median prison term was 168 months (14 years), which is lower than the 180 months in all 94 federal districts together. The number sentenced in fiscal year 2025, 25, is the highest in the table.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 114 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.
Prison Terms Are Measured in Years
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 168 months. A quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 97 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence. The median for all offenses in the District of Oregon was 32 months.
For all districts, more than 99% were sent to prison, and the median was 180 months. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
The Guidelines Behind the Category
The category includes more than contact offenses. The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 55 people. §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor) had 35, §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) had 13, and §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact) had 6.
These cases were 3% of the 4,319 people sentenced in the district.
Pleas and Trials
104 of 114 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 10 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 156 months. After a trial it was 300 months, based on 9 people sent to prison.
The trial group is small, so the trial figure describes those cases and not trials in general. All of the guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement. For all districts, guilty pleas were 90%.
Supervised Release
112 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 120 months, and 48 people (42%) received supervised release for life.
Restitution was ordered for 51 people (45%), and a fine for 2 (2%).
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
Within the range: 30% (34 people). Below the range at the government's request: 59% (67). Below the range without a government request: 8% (9). Above the range: 4% (4). For all districts, 41% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 22%.
A mandatory minimum applied to 79 of the 113 people with that information recorded (70%). By criminal history, 61% were in the lowest category and 8% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 120 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2017 | 7 | 90 months | 6 of 7 |
| 2018 | 11 | 180 months | 91% |
| 2019 | 12 | 255 months | 75% |
| 2020 | 6 | 152.7 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2021 | 8 | 138 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 11 | 120 months | 91% |
| 2023 | 13 | 180 months | 85% |
| 2024 | 14 | 153.5 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 25 | 188 months | 100% |
Yearly Counts and Limits
37 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 77 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs October 1 to the end of September. Yearly counts are 6 to 25 people, and the medians move between 90 months and 255 months.
The records show these changes but not their causes. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced, and they do not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Oregon (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oregon") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (114). 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 Oregon, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Oregon, 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.