District Sentencing

D.N.J. · Administration of JusticeFY2018–FY2025

Districts › District of New Jersey

Administration of Justice in the District of New Jersey

D.N.J. · Third Circuit · Administration of Justice nationally

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.

<10cases, FY202571 over FY2018–FY2025
10median prison monthsnational, this offence: 12
56%within guideline rangenational 49%
58%cases with a prison termnational 73%

§ 1Length of prison terms

29%
24%
<10
<10
<10
median 10 mo
under 6 mo6–11 mo1–2 yr2–3 yr3–5 yr5–10 yr10–15 yr15–20 yr20–30 yr30 yr+life
Share of cases with a prison term, by length of the term (41 cases with a prison term; life and terms of 470 months or more counted as life). Grey: administration of justice offences nationally.

Interquartile range 5–23 months; mean 15. 0 cases at the Commission's 470-month cap (life or longer).

§ 2Summary

71 administration of justice offences were sentenced in the District of New Jersey across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), <10 of them in FY2025; that is 1% of the district's caseload.

The median prison term was 10 months, shorter than the national median for administration of justice offences (12 months) and shorter than the Third Circuit median (12). Half of prison terms fell between 5 and 23 months; 58% of cases carried a prison term.

56% of these sentences were within the guideline range (nationally for this offence type: 49%); 32% were below the range on a government motion and — below it for other reasons.

FY2024 had more cases than FY2020 (13 against 11).

These are aggregates of past cases. The guideline range for any case depends on its offence level, criminal history and statutory minimums, and the sentence on the court's findings; no figure here estimates an outcome.

§ 3Position relative to the guideline range

Within guideline range 56%Above range <10Below range, government sponsored 32%Below range, other <10Not determinable 0

§ 4Compared with the district, the circuit and the nation

MeasureD.N.J., administration of justiceD.N.J., all offences3d Cir., administration of justiceUS, administration of justice
Cases per fiscal year<1064723625
Share of district caseload1.4%100%——
Median prison months10371212
Mean prison months1552—17
Cases with a prison term58%86%74%73%
Within guideline range56%37%54%49%
Above range—1%—5%
Below range, government sponsored32%41%24%21%
Below range, other—21%18%25%
Median final offence level1121—12

§ 5Trend by fiscal year

<10
<10
11
<10
<10
14
13
<10
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Administration of Justice cases sentenced per fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)
<10
<10
—
<10
<10
12
—
<10
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Median prison months by fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)
Fiscal yearCasesPrisonMedian monthsWithin rangeBelow, gov.Below, otherAbove
FY2018<10fewer than 10 cases
FY2019<10fewer than 10 cases
FY202011————0%—
FY2021<10fewer than 10 cases
FY2022<10fewer than 10 cases
FY202314—12———0%
FY202413—————0%
FY2025<10fewer than 10 cases

§ 6Criminal history

Category I62% · 63%
Category II<10
Category III16% · 11%
Category IV<10
Category V<10
Category VI<10

Share of cases at each final criminal history category; grey figure: administration of justice offences nationally.

§ 7Guidelines applied

Primary guidelines the Commission associates with this offence type, with the district's caseload under each across all offence types.

§ 8Questions and answers

What is the typical sentence for administration of justice offences in the District of New Jersey?

The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 10 months, with the middle half of terms between 5 and 23 months. 58% of cases carried a prison term. The national median for administration of justice offences is 12 months.

How often are administration of justice offences sentenced below the guideline range here?

32% of sentences were below the range on a government motion and — below it for other reasons; 56% were within the range. The Commission's categories are explained in the guide to how the guidelines work.

How does this compare with the rest of the country?

Nationally, administration of justice offences had a median prison term of 12 months and a within-range share of 49% over the same period. The district's figures are below on median term and higher than the national within-range share.

Which guidelines are involved?

The most common primary guidelines for these cases are §none, §2X4.1 and §2A2.4.

Is this a prediction for a particular case?

No. The figures are aggregates of sentences already imposed, as recorded by the US Sentencing Commission. They are not legal advice and do not estimate the outcome of any case.

§ 9Other offence types in the District of New Jersey

§ 10Provenance

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. Offence type is the Commission's OFFGUIDE code 1; district is CIRCDIST 14. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.