Other · National · FY2015–FY2025
Administration of Justice Offenses
Average imposed sentence 17.3 mo in FY2025 - shorter-third average (≤ 21 mo) among 30 offense types.
- 17.3
- Avg months FY2025
- well below the national average
- 558
- Federal cases
- 50%
- Within guidelines
- typical guideline adherence
- 74%
- Guilty plea
The verdict
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Administration of Justice Offenses ranks #11 of 30 by caseload (558 cases) and #22 of 30 by average sentence (17.3 months).
- #11
- Caseload of 30
- #22
- Avg sentence of 30
- 17.3 months
- This offense avg FY2025
- 558
- This offense cases FY2025
Caseload rank covers every district with at least one FY case. Average-sentence rank covers districts with at least 100 cases so a thin docket cannot top the list. Offense ranks cover the 30 published guideline types. Averages follow offense mix, not court character.
Administration of Justice Of FY2024→FY2025: -0.6 mo
| Year | Cases | Avg (mo) | GL Min | GL Max | Within GL | Above GL | Below GL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 558 | 17.3 | 18.0 | 21.7 | 50% | 11% | 39% |
| FY2024 | 658 | 17.9 | 19.5 | 23.2 | 45% | 10% | 45% |
| FY2023 | 645 | 20.3 | 24.5 | 28.8 | 46% | 7% | 47% |
| FY2022 | 649 | 15.7 | 19.5 | 22.5 | 45% | 7% | 48% |
| FY2021 | 512 | 17.4 | 18.0 | 21.8 | 51% | 8% | 42% |
| FY2020 | 542 | 14.7 | 17.8 | 21.2 | 44% | 9% | 47% |
| FY2019 | 698 | 16.2 | 18.2 | 20.8 | 50% | 8% | 42% |
| FY2018 | 729 | 16.7 | 18.5 | 22.5 | 47% | 9% | 45% |
Administration of Justice Of · hardest district slice
Among districts with ≥5 FY2025 cases, Western Pennsylvania posts the longest average (110.0 mo, 1 cases , +535.8% vs national).
Where administration of justice offenses sentences sit among all federal sentences (FY2025)
Each bar counts imposed federal prison terms in that length band; the marker is this offense's average.
17 44th percentile longer than 44% of 61,431 federal sentences
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more federal sentences. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles · FY2025
Administration of Justice Offenses - Top District Disparities (FY2025)
District Comparison (FY2025)
Districts with ≥5 FY2025 Administration of Justice Offenses cases. Averages still mix case factors (history, quantity, cooperation).
| District | Cases | Avg (mo) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Pennsylvania | 1 | 110.0 | +535.8% |
| Northern Oklahoma | 7 | 81.3 | +369.7% |
| Northern West Virginia | 3 | 66.0 | +281.5% |
| Middle North Carolina | 2 | 57.0 | +229.5% |
| Middle Georgia | 5 | 46.8 | +170.3% |
| Eastern Kentucky | 2 | 43.5 | +151.4% |
| Western Kentucky | 13 | 35.1 | +103.1% |
| Western Wisconsin | 1 | 33.0 | +90.8% |
| Eastern Missouri | 3 | 30.7 | +77.3% |
| Western Missouri | 13 | 30.2 | +74.4% |
| Eastern Louisiana | 9 | 30.0 | +73.4% |
| Connecticut | 2 | 28.5 | +64.8% |
| Western Oklahoma | 3 | 28.0 | +61.8% |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | 4 | 27.9 | +61.5% |
| Southern West Virginia | 4 | 27.0 | +56.1% |
| Eastern California | 11 | 26.8 | +54.8% |
| Central California | 10 | 26.6 | +53.8% |
| Eastern Arkansas | 6 | 25.9 | +49.9% |
| Middle Florida | 7 | 25.8 | +49.2% |
| Wyoming | 2 | 25.5 | +47.5% |
Nationwide peers · caseload or average sentence
Similar FY caseload
Nearest by ABS(558 cases).
- National Defense · 499 cases · Other
- Prison Offenses · 414 cases · Other
- Tax · 407 cases · Fraud/Financial
- Murder · 405 cases · Violent Crime
Similar average sentence
Nearest nationwide offense types by ABS(17.3 mo here; ≥50-case types).
- National Defense · 15.8 mo avg · Other
- Commercialized Vice · 13.4 mo avg · Other
- Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses · 21.4 mo avg · Sex Offenses
- Prison Offenses · 13.1 mo avg · Other
Same-category peers · Other
Source: United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025 · Methodology
What the Administration of Justice Offenses data shows
In FY2025, 558 federal defendants were sentenced for administration of justice offenses, with an average sentence of 17.3 months -- 34.6 months below the national average across all offenses.
- 50% of administration of justice offenses sentences in FY2025 fell within the guideline range, with 39% below (downward departures or variances, often for cooperation). The below-range rate reflects how frequently prosecutors offer departure motions for substantial assistance. How the guidelines work
- The highest-average district for administration of justice offenses in FY2025 was Western Pennsylvania, averaging 110.0 months -- 92.7 months above the national average. Case-specific factors within this offense (criminal history, quantity or aggravating circumstances, cooperation) drive that gap as much as any district-level pattern; the comparison below shows the full spread. Western Pennsylvania data
- The average sentence for administration of justice offenses has risen 0.6 months since FY2018 (FY2018: 16.7 mo; FY2025: 17.3 mo). The trend chart above compares actual sentences against the guideline midpoint each year. Post-Booker sentencing trends
Descriptive USSC aggregates, not legal advice; individual sentences depend on case-specific facts.
PlainSentencing is rendered directly from the United States Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data issue on this page.