District Sentencing

D.N.M. · ManslaughterFY2018–FY2025

Districts › District of New Mexico

Manslaughter in the District of New Mexico

D.N.M. · Tenth Circuit · Manslaughter 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.

13cases, FY202580 over FY2018–FY2025
60median prison monthsnational, this offence: 63
54%within guideline rangenational 46%
—cases with a prison termnational 96%

§ 1Length of prison terms

<10
20%
21%
38%
<10
<10
median 60 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 (76 cases with a prison term; life and terms of 470 months or more counted as life). Grey: manslaughter offences nationally.

Interquartile range 34–96 months; mean 70. 0 cases at the Commission's 470-month cap (life or longer).

§ 2Summary

80 manslaughter offences were sentenced in the District of New Mexico across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 13 of them in FY2025; that is 0% of the district's caseload.

The median prison term was 60 months (5 years), close to the national median for manslaughter offences (63 months) and close to the Tenth Circuit median (64). Half of prison terms fell between 34 and 96 months; — of cases carried a prison term.

54% of these sentences were within the guideline range (nationally for this offence type: 46%); 13% were below the range on a government motion and — below it for other reasons.

Caseload in FY2025 was about the same as in FY2018. The median prison term in FY2025 (62 months) was shorter than in FY2018 (75 months).

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 54%Above range 24%Below range, government sponsored 13%Below range, other <10Not determinable 0

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

MeasureD.N.M., manslaughterD.N.M., all offences10th Cir., manslaughterUS, manslaughter
Cases per fiscal year102,6232575
Share of district caseload0.4%100%——
Median prison months6046463
Mean prison months7019—78
Cases with a prison term—99%—96%
Within guideline range54%58%49%46%
Above range24%1%28%29%
Below range, government sponsored13%31%13%12%
Below range, other—10%11%14%
Median final offence level2110—22

§ 5Trend by fiscal year

12
<10
<10
10
<10
11
11
13
’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Manslaughter cases sentenced per fiscal year (fiscal years 2018–2025)
75
<10
<10
87
<10
60
42
62
’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
FY201812100%75——0%—
FY2019<10fewer than 10 cases
FY2020<10fewer than 10 cases
FY202110100%87————
FY2022<10fewer than 10 cases
FY202311100%60————
FY202411—42————
FY202513—62————

§ 6Criminal history

Category I68% · 57%
Category II19% · 12%
Category III<10
Category IV0% · 6%
Category V<10
Category VI0% · 4%

Share of cases at each final criminal history category; grey figure: manslaughter 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 manslaughter offences in the District of New Mexico?

The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 60 months (5 years), with the middle half of terms between 34 and 96 months. — of cases carried a prison term. The national median for manslaughter offences is 63 months.

How often are manslaughter offences sentenced below the guideline range here?

13% of sentences were below the range on a government motion and — below it for other reasons; 54% 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, manslaughter offences had a median prison term of 63 months and a within-range share of 46% over the same period. The district's figures are close to on median term and higher than the national within-range share.

Which guidelines are involved?

The most common primary guidelines for these cases are §2A1.4, §2A1.3 and §2X3.1.

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 Mexico

§ 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 20; district is CIRCDIST 80. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.