Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for the 87 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Northern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 211 months (17.6 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 180 months. All 87 received a prison term, and a mandatory minimum applied to 80 peop
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY201 › Sexual Abuse: Northern District of Indiana
In brief: The median prison term for the 87 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Northern District of Indiana in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 was 211 months (17.6 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 180 months. All 87 received a prison term, and a mandatory minimum applied to 80 people (92%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 87 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 in Every Case
The Commission's "Sexual Abuse" offense type had 87 people in the Northern District of Indiana, which was 3% of the 3,085 people sentenced there. All 87 (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. One person received a life sentence.
The median prison term was 211 months. A quarter received 300 months or more, and a quarter received 180 months or less. The national median was 180 months, so the district's median was higher. For all offenses in the district, the median was 51 months.
What the Category Includes
The Commission's category is broader than its name. The most common primary guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 69 people. Next was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 15 people.
2 people were sentenced under §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), and 1 person under §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 80 of the 87 people (92%). Mandatory minimums set a floor on the sentence. The sheet does not show how many sentences were at that floor.
Pleas and Trials
A total of 77 people (89%) pleaded guilty, and 10 were convicted after a trial. Nationally, 90% pleaded guilty. Among the guilty pleas, 95% had a written plea agreement and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term was 210 months after a guilty plea and 375 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 10 people. The records do not show how the cases differed in charges or facts.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
Sentences within the guideline range were 44% (38 people). Below the range at the government's request were 37% (32 people), and below the range without a request were 17% (15 people). Above the range were 2% (2 people).
For all 94 districts, 41% of sexual abuse sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the Northern District of Indiana, the figure was 47%.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 295 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 200 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 9 | 180 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2019 | 10 | 270 months | 90% |
| 2020 | 9 | 188 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2021 | 10 | 225 months | 80% |
| 2022 | 11 | 210 months | 82% |
| 2023 | 9 | 211 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 210 months | 75% |
| 2025 | 6 | 390 months | 6 of 6 |
Supervised Release and Criminal History
Supervised release followed prison for 86 people (99%), with a median term of 60 months. 6 people (7%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 1 person (1%), and restitution for 39 (45%).
In criminal history, 64% were in the lowest category, category I, and 6% were in the highest, category VI.
Yearly Counts and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 30 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 57 people. Yearly counts run from 5 people to 12 people, and yearly medians run from 180 months in fiscal year 2018 to 390 months in fiscal year 2025. With counts this small, one year does not show a trend.
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not counted, and prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (87). 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 Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Indiana, 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.