Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
District of Columbia Circuit
D.C. Cir. · 1 district · District of Columbia
The datafile contains cases reported to the Commission with sentencing documents. Sentence length statistics use the Commission's capped variable (sentences of 470 months or longer, including life, are recorded as 470 months) and exclude sentences of probation or a fine only. Figures are aggregates of past cases and are not a prediction for any case.
§ 1Districts compared
| District | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia D.D.C. | 2,849 | 89% | 36 | 44% | 23% | 31% | 3% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The District of Columbia Circuit covers 1 district (District of Columbia). Its courts sentenced 2,849 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 423 of them in FY2025; the District of Columbia is the busiest with 2,849.
The circuit's median prison term was 36 months (3 years), longer than the national 24 months, and 44% of sentences were within the guideline range (nationally 47%).
FY2025 had more cases than FY2018 (423 against 219). The median prison term in FY2025 (55 months) was longer than in FY2018 (37 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 44%Above range 3%Below range, government sponsored 23%Below range, other 31%Not determinable <10
| Measure | D.C. Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 36 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 89% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 44% | 47% |
| Above range | 3% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 23% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 31% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 610 | 21.4% | 60 | 34% |
| Firearms | 545 | 19.1% | 36 | 53% |
| Administration of Justice | 330 | 11.6% | 12 | 53% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 318 | 11.2% | 18 | 39% |
| Assault | 206 | 7.2% | 37 | 41% |
| Burglary/Trespass | 133 | 4.7% | 2 | 94% |
| Robbery | 103 | 3.6% | 87 | 36% |
| Child Pornography | 102 | 3.6% | 79 | 19% |
| Prison Offenses | 89 | 3.1% | 6 | 39% |
| Bribery/Corruption | 74 | 2.6% | 24 | 24% |
| Sex Abuse | 71 | 2.5% | 168 | 32% |
| Money Launder | 64 | 2.2% | 41 | 22% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 219 | 85% | 37 | 39% | 27% | 32% | — |
| FY2019 | 331 | 92% | 24 | 42% | 23% | 33% | — |
| FY2020 | 272 | 89% | 24 | 36% | 27% | 37% | — |
| FY2021 | 253 | 90% | 28 | 29% | 38% | 31% | — |
| FY2022 | 312 | 86% | 37 | 53% | 23% | 22% | — |
| FY2023 | 503 | 91% | 40 | 46% | 17% | 32% | 5% |
| FY2024 | 536 | 88% | 37 | 51% | 16% | 30% | 4% |
| FY2025 | 423 | 89% | 55 | 41% | 23% | 31% | 5% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the District of Columbia Circuit?
District of Columbia.
How do sentences vary across the District of Columbia Circuit?
Too few districts with enough cases to compare.
How often are sentences within the guideline range in the District of Columbia Circuit?
44% over FY2018–FY2025, with 23% below the range on a government motion and 31% below it for other reasons.
§ 8Provenance
Source: United States Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles, fiscal years 2018–2025 (US government works), aggregated by this site; the FY2025 file is dated 29 Apr 2026. Circuit is the Commission's MONCIRC code 0. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.