Federal prison sentences are determined by judges considering all relevant statutes, the nature and circumstances of the offense, the defendant’s personal background and criminal history, and the United States Sentencing Guidelines, with the goals of ensuring just punishment, deterring criminal conduct, and protecting the public.
Federal crimes are a different breed, and the exact amount of jail time a person charged with a crime is facing can be difficult to predict. People who have experience with the state criminal justice system are often surprised by how things work in federal court. Typical federal crimes include charges like drug trafficking, wire fraud, tax evasion, distribution of child pornography, or firearms violations. Sentencing in federal cases is guided by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which consider the severity of the crime and the defendant’s criminal history. If you don’t have a criminal history and the crime is not particularly severe, then jail time is less likely. If you have a criminal history and the crime is severe, then you might be facing a long jail sentence. Calculating your sentencing range using the Guidelines can be complicated task, and often it cannot even be done reliably until the case is almost finished.
However, federal sentences are not one-size-fits-all. Judges have discretion to impose sentences within, above, or below the Guideline range based on aggravating or mitigating circumstances. Factors such as cooperation with law enforcement, acceptance of responsibility, or the impact of the crime on victims can influence the final sentence. Additionally, federal convictions often come with mandatory minimums for certain crimes, meaning the judge must impose at least a specific minimum sentence regardless of other factors.
