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# Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-sentences-western-district-of-kentucky/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:15:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:15:11.000Z
- Description: All 113 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 180 months, or 15 years, the same as the median for this offense type in all 94 districts. Of the 113, 3 received a life sentence.
- 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 Western District of Kentucky, FY201](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-kentucky/) › Sexual Abuse: Western District of Kentucky

**In brief:** All 113 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Western District of Kentucky in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 180 months, or 15 years, the same as the median for this offense type in all 94 districts. Of the 113, 3 received a life sentence.

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 113 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/).

## Prison Terms of 15 Years at the Median

The median prison term for the 113 people was 180 months. A quarter received 262 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. In addition, 3 people received a life sentence.

The median for all offenses in this district was 57 months, so the sexual abuse median is much higher. In all districts, more than 99% of people sentenced for this offense type went to prison, and the median was also 180 months.

## What the Offense Type Includes

"Sexual Abuse" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's name for a group of sex offenses sorted by primary guideline. In this district, the most common guideline was §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material), with 55 people. Next was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 48.

Smaller groups used §2G1.1 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with an Individual Other than a Minor) and §2A3.1 (Criminal Sexual Abuse), with 3 people each.

These 113 cases are 3% of the 3,229 people sentenced in the district.

## Mandatory Minimums and Departures

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 103 of the 112 people with that information recorded (92%).

Within the guideline range were 40 sentences (35%). Below the range at the government's request were 51 (45%), and below it without such a request were 18 (16%). 4 sentences (4%) were above the range. For this offense type in all districts, 41% were within the range.

## Pleas and Trials

Of the 113 people, 105 (93%) pleaded guilty and 8 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all offenses in the district was 97%, and for this offense type in all districts it was 90%.

The median prison term was 180 months after a guilty plea and 237.5 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 8 people. Among the guilty pleas, 84% had a written plea agreement and 16% were straight pleas with no agreement.

## Yearly Counts Are Small

The district sentenced 38 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 75 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. No year had more than 16 people, so the yearly medians rest on small groups.

The table lists medians from 120 months in fiscal year 2018 to 264 months in fiscal year 2023\. Those swings can come from only a few cases, and the table is not evidence of a trend. A fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 12               | 123.5 months  | 100%           |
| 2017        | 7                | 180 months    | 5 of 7         |
| 2018        | 10               | 120 months    | 90%            |
| 2019        | 9                | 192 months    | 9 of 9         |
| 2020        | 15               | 135 months    | 87%            |
| 2021        | 11               | 135 months    | 100%           |
| 2022        | 16               | 184 months    | 88%            |
| 2023        | 8                | 264 months    | 8 of 8         |
| 2024        | 15               | 180 months    | 100%           |
| 2025        | 10               | 263 months    | 90%            |

## Supervised Release and Other Orders

All 113 people were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 180 months, and 48 people (42%) received supervised release for life.

A fine was ordered for 6 people (5%) and restitution for 32 (28%). On criminal history, 63% were in the lowest category and 5% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## What the Records Cannot Show

Fort Knox, Kentucky is in the district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court, and these federal numbers say nothing about military cases.

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not included. The records show prison terms imposed, not time served, and do not describe the facts of any case.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Kentucky (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kentucky West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (113). 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 Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-western-district-of-kentucky/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-western-district-of-kentucky/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-western-district-of-kentucky/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-western-district-of-kentucky/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-western-district-of-kentucky/) (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.