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# Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:13:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:13:57.000Z
- Description: All 33 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 240 months, or 20 years, compared with 180 months for all 94 districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 28 of the 33 (85%).
- 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 Alabama, FY2016–](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) › Sexual Abuse: Middle District of Alabama

**In brief:** All 33 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Middle District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 240 months, or 20 years, compared with 180 months for all 94 districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 28 of the 33 (85%).

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 33 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/).

## A Median of 20 Years

The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 33 people in its "Sexual Abuse" offense type in this district. The median prison term was 240 months. A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 151 months or less.

For all districts, the median was 180 months, which is lower than here. For all offenses in this district, the median was 46 months. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.

## Mandatory Minimums and Guideline Ranges

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 28 of the 33 people (85%).

Only 9 sentences (27%) were within the guideline range. 13 (39%) were below the range at the government's request, and 8 (24%) were below it without a government request. 3 sentences (9%) were above the range.

For all districts, 41% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, which is higher than here.

## Guidelines Involving Minors

The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 19 people. Next was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 11 people.

1 person had §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact), and 1 had §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse). These cases were 2% of the 2,037 people sentenced in the district.

## Pleas and Trials

30 of the 33 people (91%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The all-district guilty plea rate was 90%.

The median prison term was 225 months after a guilty plea and 300 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 3 people. Among the guilty pleas, 90% had a written plea agreement.

## Supervised Release and Financial Orders

All 33 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. 13 people (39%) received supervised release for life.

Restitution was ordered for 25 people (76%), and no fines were ordered. In criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Fiscal Year

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 7 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 26 people. The fiscal year begins on October 1.

The most in one year was 9 people, and 3 years have 1 to 3 people. The medians in the table range from 18.1 months to 355 months. With counts this small, the table does not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 18.1 months   | 1 of 1         |
| 2017        | 1                | 240 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2018        | 2                | 210 months    | 1 of 2         |
| 2019        | 3                | 200 months    | 3 of 3         |
| 2020        | 2                | 150 months    | 2 of 2         |
| 2022        | 9                | 324 months    | 9 of 9         |
| 2023        | 4                | 355 months    | 3 of 4         |
| 2024        | 8                | 127.5 months  | 7 of 8         |
| 2025        | 3                | 240 months    | 3 of 3         |

## Maxwell AFB and Limits

Maxwell AFB, Alabama, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.

Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission data.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (33). 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](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 Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-middle-district-of-alabama/) (overview)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Alabama, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-middle-district-of-alabama/) (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.