Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of Georgia, 55 of the 77 people sentenced in the "Sexual Abuse" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (71%) were subject to a mandatory minimum prison term. 76 of the 77 received a prison term, and the median was 180 months (15 years), which matches the national median. 4 pe
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY201 › Sexual Abuse: Southern District of Georgia
In brief: In the Southern District of Georgia, 55 of the 77 people sentenced in the "Sexual Abuse" category in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (71%) were subject to a mandatory minimum prison term. 76 of the 77 received a prison term, and the median was 180 months (15 years), which matches the national median. 4 people received a life sentence.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 77 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.
A Mandatory Minimum Applied to 71%
Mandatory minimum information was recorded for all 77 people, and 55 of them (71%) were subject to one. A mandatory minimum is a prison term that a judge must impose at least, whatever the guideline range says.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 75 people (97%). The median supervised release term was 180 months, and 14 people (18%) received it for life. A fine was ordered for 12 (16%), and restitution for 32 (42%).
Length of the Prison Terms
76 of the 77 people (99%) received a prison term. 1 (1%) received probation only.
The middle sentence was 180 months (15 years). The top quarter received 325.5 months or more, and the bottom quarter received 120 months or less. 4 people received a life sentence. The figures are imposed terms and not time served.
The Same Median as the Nation
Across all 94 districts, 12,095 people were sentenced in the "Sexual Abuse" offense type. More than 99% were sent to prison, the median was 180 months, and guilty pleas were 90%.
So the district median matched the national median. Both are higher than the 48 months that is the median for all offenses in this district. Sexual abuse cases were 2% of the 4,115 people sentenced here.
Guidelines Used in These Cases
The category name is the Commission's, and it covers several guidelines. The most common was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 36 people. Next was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 29, followed by §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), with 9.
One person had §2A3.3 (Criminal Sexual Abuse of a Ward or Attempt to Commit Such Acts) as the primary guideline.
Guilty Pleas and the 6 Trials
71 of the 77 people (92%) pleaded guilty, which is higher than the national 90%. 6 were convicted after a trial.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 180 months. After a trial it was 470 months. A group of 6 people is too small to say how trials compare in general. Written plea agreements covered 94% of the guilty pleas, and 6% were straight pleas.
How Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
52 of the 77 sentences (68%) were within the guideline range. 10 (13%) were below the range at the government's request, 13 (17%) were below it without a government request, and 2 (3%) were above it.
The national within-range share for this offense type was 41%, and the share for all offenses in the district was 71%.
Criminal History
82% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 1% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Fiscal Years 2016 to 2025
The district sentenced 20 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 57 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years begin on October 1.
The table shows 4 to 16 people per year. Medians range from 80 months in fiscal year 2019 to 398.5 months in fiscal year 2025. Groups this small do not establish a trend, and the records cannot explain why a year differs.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 | 176 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2017 | 4 | 150 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 5 | 210 months | 4 of 5 |
| 2019 | 4 | 80 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 16 | 123.5 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 7 | 135 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2022 | 15 | 240 months | 87% |
| 2023 | 6 | 280 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 280 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2025 | 6 | 398.5 months | 4 of 6 |
What Is Missing From These Numbers
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted, so acquittals and dismissals are not visible. The records give no facts about any case. Fort Gordon and Fort Stewart are in this district, and courts-martial there are tried in military courts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Georgia (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Georgia South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (77). 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 Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Other Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Georgia, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern 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.