Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
114 of the 116 people sentenced in the "Sexual Abuse" category in the Middle District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 87 months (7.2 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 federal districts. 37% of the 116 were subject to a mandatory minimum.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016– › Sexual Abuse: Middle District of Georgia
In brief: 114 of the 116 people sentenced in the "Sexual Abuse" category in the Middle District of Georgia in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 87 months (7.2 years), compared with 180 months across all 94 federal districts. 37% of the 116 were subject to a mandatory minimum.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 116 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 Were Long but Lower Than the National Median
114 of the 116 people (98%) received a prison term, and 0 received probation only. The median prison term was 87 months (7.2 years). A quarter received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 46 months or less.
Nationally, 12,095 people were sentenced in this offense type. More than 99% were sent to prison, and the median term was 180 months. The median in this district was lower than the national median, and higher than the district's median of 51 months for all offenses.
What the Category Includes
The Commission's "Sexual Abuse" category is a grouping, and it covers several guidelines. In this district, §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor) was the primary guideline for 79 people. §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) applied to 31.
§2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse) applied to 4, and §2A3.4 (Abusive Sexual Contact or Attempt to Commit Abusive Sexual Contact) applied to 1. Sexual abuse cases were 3% of the 4,094 people sentenced in the district.
Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 43 of the 116 people (37%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 114 people (98%). The median term was 120 months, and 14 people (12%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (2%), and restitution for 26 (22%).
Guilty Pleas and Trials
111 of the 116 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. Nationally, guilty pleas were 90%, so pleas were more common here.
The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 5 people. Among guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
68% of the sentences (79) were within the guideline range. 9% (11) were below the range at the government's request, and 18% (21) were below the range without a government request. 4% (5) were above the range.
Nationally, 41% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. The within-range share here was higher. For all offenses in the district, it was 66%.
Criminal History
78% of the people were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 3% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts and Medians by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 45 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 71 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The fiscal year runs from October 1 to the end of the following September.
Yearly counts were between 4 and 24 people. Medians range from 46 months to 360 months. The single year with 360 months had 9 people, so these figures reflect small groups and not a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 120 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2017 | 13 | 50 months | 92% |
| 2018 | 24 | 46 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 4 | 165 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2020 | 8 | 46 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 12 | 135.5 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 9 | 360 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2023 | 15 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 10 | 102 months | 90% |
| 2025 | 17 | 57 months | 100% |
What the Records Cannot Show
The Commission lists only people who were convicted and sentenced. People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are absent, and the records do not describe any case. Fort Benning, Moody AFB, and Robins AFB are in this district. Military courts try courts-martial, not this federal court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (116). 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 Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Georgia, 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.