Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
86 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 84 (98%) received a prison term, with a median of 188 months (15.7 years). 2 received a life sentence.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY201 › Sexual Abuse: Eastern District of Arkansas
In brief: 86 people were sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 84 (98%) received a prison term, with a median of 188 months (15.7 years). 2 received a life sentence.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 86 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 and Life Sentences
The median prison term was 188 months (15.7 years). A quarter received 300 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
For all 94 federal districts, the median was 180 months, and more than 99% of the 12,095 people sentenced were sent to prison. For all offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas, the median was 50 months. 2 people in this group (2%) received probation only.
Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release for Life
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 72 of the 86 people (84%). 84 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 21 (24%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 3 people (3%), and restitution for 8 (9%).
Which Guidelines Made Up the Group
"Sexual Abuse" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, based on the primary guideline in each case. The most common here were §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), for 40 people, and §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), for 39.
Smaller groups used §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) for 3 and §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact) for 3. These cases were 2% of the 4,942 people sentenced in the district.
Trials Were More Common Than in the District Overall
73 of the 86 people (85%) pleaded guilty, and 13 were convicted after a trial. For all districts, guilty pleas were 90% of this offense type, and for all offenses in this district they were 98%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 180 months. After a trial it was 235 months, based on 13 people. 84% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 16% were straight pleas.
Position Against the Guideline Range
48 people (56%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 23 (27%) were below the range without a government request, and 4 (5%) were below it at the government's request. 11 (13%) were above the range.
For all districts, 41% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 55%. 70% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, and 1% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts
30 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 56 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly counts ran from 5 to 16 people. The medians run from 120 months to 300 months, and 2023 had the most people with 16. Counts this small do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 | 240 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2017 | 9 | 184 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2018 | 5 | 180 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2019 | 8 | 151.5 months | 7 of 8 |
| 2020 | 6 | 120 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2021 | 6 | 127.5 months | 3 of 6 |
| 2022 | 9 | 180 months | 7 of 9 |
| 2023 | 16 | 300 months | 94% |
| 2024 | 6 | 297.5 months | 3 of 6 |
| 2025 | 13 | 120 months | 85% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It has no acquittals or dismissals, and it does not describe the facts of any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (86). 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, 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.