Offence typesFY2018–FY2025
Kidnapping
Primary offence type · Commission code 19 · 0.2% of federal cases
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.
§ 1Length of prison terms, all districts
Interquartile range 96–240 months; mean 186. 71 cases at the 470-month cap (life or longer).
§ 2Summary
Kidnapping was the primary offence type in 932 federal cases sentenced across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 0.2% of all cases reported to the Commission, with 146 in FY2025.
The national median prison term for kidnapping offences was 150 months (12 yr 6 mo), against 24 months for all cases; — of cases carried a prison term and the middle half of terms fell between 96 and 240 months.
31% of sentences were within the guideline range, 39% below it on a government motion, 26% below it for other reasons and 4% above it.
The districts with the most kidnapping offences were the Southern District of Texas (61), the District of New Mexico (44) and the Southern District of New York (36).
FY2025 had more cases than FY2018 (146 against 106). The median prison term was about the same in FY2025 as in FY2018.
§ 3Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 31%Above range 4%Below range, government sponsored 39%Below range, other 26%Not determinable <10
| Measure | Kidnapping | All offence types |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 150 | 24 |
| Mean prison months | 186 | 51 |
| Cases with a prison term | — | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 31% | 47% |
| Above range | 4% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 39% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 26% | 21% |
| Median final offence level | 35 | 17 |
| Criminal history category I | 37% | 46% |
§ 4Districts compared
Every district with at least one case, most cases first. Districts with at least 30 cases in 2021–2025 link to a district × offence page; others link to the district's overview. Rows under 10 cases show the count only.
| District | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern District of Texas S.D. Tex. | 61 | 100% | 160 | 20% | 53% | 25% |
| District of New Mexico D.N.M. | 44 | 100% | 120 | — | 73% | — |
| Southern District of New York S.D.N.Y. | 36 | 100% | 78 | — | 31% | 56% |
| Western District of Texas W.D. Tex. | 36 | 100% | 147 | — | 42% | 39% |
| Southern District of Florida S.D. Fla. | 33 | 100% | 210 | 42% | — | 36% |
| Northern District of Texas N.D. Tex. | 31 | 100% | 165 | — | 37% | — |
| Eastern District of New York E.D.N.Y. | 29 | — | 84 | — | 35% | 62% |
| Eastern District of Kentucky E.D. Ky. | 29 | 100% | 180 | 35% | 38% | — |
| Eastern District of Pennsylvania E.D. Pa. | 24 | 100% | 245 | — | 50% | — |
| Eastern District of North Carolina E.D.N.C. | 24 | — | 120 | 54% | — | — |
| Middle District of North Carolina M.D.N.C. | 24 | 100% | 186 | 46% | — | — |
| District of Arizona D. Ariz. | 23 | 100% | 108 | — | 61% | — |
| District of Columbia D.D.C. | 22 | 100% | 121 | 46% | — | — |
| District of Massachusetts D. Mass. | 22 | 100% | 126 | — | 50% | — |
| Eastern District of Texas E.D. Tex. | 20 | 100% | 190 | — | — | 0% |
| Eastern District of Michigan E.D. Mich. | 19 | 100% | 128 | — | — | — |
| Eastern District of Virginia E.D. Va. | 18 | 100% | 210 | 61% | — | — |
| Southern District of Ohio S.D. Ohio | 18 | — | 96 | 0% | 67% | — |
| Northern District of Oklahoma N.D. Okla. | 18 | 100% | 148 | — | — | — |
| Western District of Tennessee W.D. Tenn. | 17 | 100% | 180 | — | — | — |
| District of Maryland D. Md. | 16 | 100% | 162 | — | 69% | — |
| Western District of Missouri W.D. Mo. | 16 | 100% | 180 | — | — | — |
| District of South Carolina D.S.C. | 15 | 100% | 168 | — | — | — |
| Northern District of Illinois N.D. Ill. | 14 | 100% | 270 | — | — | — |
| Eastern District of Arkansas E.D. Ark. | 14 | 100% | 232 | — | — | 0% |
| Eastern District of Missouri E.D. Mo. | 12 | — | 126 | — | — | — |
| Western District of Oklahoma W.D. Okla. | 12 | 100% | 120 | — | 0% | — |
| District of New Jersey D.N.J. | 11 | 100% | 168 | — | — | 0% |
| Eastern District of Oklahoma E.D. Okla. | 11 | 100% | 151 | 91% | — | 0% |
| District of Wyoming D. Wyo. | 11 | 100% | 130 | — | — | — |
| Western District of Louisiana W.D. La. | 10 | 100% | 266 | — | — | — |
| District of South Dakota D.S.D. | 10 | 100% | 310 | — | 0% | — |
| District of Colorado D. Colo. | 10 | — | — | 0% | — | — |
| Western District of Michigan W.D. Mich. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of California S.D. Cal. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Montana D. Mont. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Puerto Rico D.P.R. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Middle District of Tennessee M.D. Tenn. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Central District of California C.D. Cal. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Connecticut D. Conn. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of North Carolina W.D.N.C. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Eastern District of Tennessee E.D. Tenn. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Alaska D. Alaska | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Kansas D. Kan. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Alabama N.D. Ala. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Middle District of Florida M.D. Fla. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Georgia N.D. Ga. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of New York W.D.N.Y. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of Kentucky W.D. Ky. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Ohio N.D. Ohio | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Iowa N.D. Iowa | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Alabama S.D. Ala. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Central District of Illinois C.D. Ill. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Nebraska D. Neb. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Nevada D. Nev. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Oregon D. Or. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Middle District of Alabama M.D. Ala. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Indiana S.D. Ind. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Minnesota D. Minn. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Mississippi N.D. Miss. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Mississippi S.D. Miss. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Indiana N.D. Ind. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of Arkansas W.D. Ark. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Iowa S.D. Iowa | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of California N.D. Cal. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Utah D. Utah | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Georgia S.D. Ga. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of New York N.D.N.Y. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Vermont D. Vt. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Delaware D. Del. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Middle District of Pennsylvania M.D. Pa. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Eastern District of Louisiana E.D. La. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Southern District of Illinois S.D. Ill. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Eastern District of California E.D. Cal. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Hawaii D. Haw. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Idaho D. Idaho | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of Maine D. Me. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of Virginia W.D. Va. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of West Virginia N.D.W. Va. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Middle District of Louisiana M.D. La. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Eastern District of Wisconsin E.D. Wis. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of Wisconsin W.D. Wis. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| District of North Dakota D.N.D. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Eastern District of Washington E.D. Wash. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Western District of Washington W.D. Wash. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
| Northern District of Florida N.D. Fla. | <10 | fewer than 10 cases | ||||
§ 5Circuits compared
| Circuit | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia Circuit | 22 | 100% | 121 | 46% | — | — |
| First Circuit | 31 | 100% | 120 | — | 45% | 39% |
| Second Circuit | 82 | — | 98 | — | 37% | 52% |
| Third Circuit | 39 | 100% | 168 | 33% | 54% | — |
| Fourth Circuit | 106 | — | 168 | 48% | 27% | 20% |
| Fifth Circuit | 167 | 100% | 168 | 27% | 42% | 26% |
| Sixth Circuit | 119 | — | 180 | 26% | 38% | 30% |
| Seventh Circuit | 30 | 100% | 228 | 47% | — | — |
| Eighth Circuit | 74 | — | 185 | 39% | 37% | 19% |
| Ninth Circuit | 77 | 100% | 96 | 26% | 55% | 13% |
| Tenth Circuit | 116 | — | 120 | 28% | 54% | 18% |
| Eleventh Circuit | 69 | 100% | 204 | 44% | 23% | 25% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 106 | 100% | 138 | 37% | 36% | 23% | — |
| FY2019 | 96 | 100% | 120 | 31% | 42% | 24% | — |
| FY2020 | 66 | 100% | 168 | 38% | 26% | 27% | — |
| FY2021 | 92 | — | 124 | 24% | 48% | 25% | — |
| FY2022 | 128 | — | 168 | 34% | 41% | 22% | — |
| FY2023 | 151 | — | 168 | 31% | 45% | 19% | — |
| FY2024 | 147 | — | 161 | 29% | 42% | 27% | — |
| FY2025 | 146 | 100% | 154 | 28% | 32% | 36% | — |
§ 7Criminal history
Share of cases at each final criminal history category; grey figure: all federal cases.
§ 8Guideline sections involved
| Primary guideline | Subject | Cases | Share of this offence type |
|---|---|---|---|
| §2A4.1 | Kidnapping, abduction, unlawful restraint | 891 | 95.6% |
| §2X1.1 | Attempt, solicitation or conspiracy (not covered by a specific guideline) | 19 | 2.0% |
| §2X3.1 | Accessory after the fact | 17 | 1.8% |
| §2A4.2 | <10 | — |
§ 9Questions and answers
What is the average federal sentence for kidnapping offences?
The median prison term over FY2018–FY2025 was 150 months (12 yr 6 mo) and the mean was 186 months (life sentences counted as 470 months, the Commission's convention). Medians are used on this site because a few very long terms pull the mean upward.
How much does the sentence for kidnapping offences vary by district?
Among districts with at least 10 cases, medians ranged from 78 months (S.D.N.Y.) to 310 months (D.S.D.). The mix of guidelines, statutory minimums and criminal history within the offence type explains much of the spread.
How often are kidnapping offences sentenced outside the guideline range?
69% of sentences were outside the range: 39% below it on a government motion, 26% below it for other reasons and 4% above it.
Which guidelines apply to kidnapping offences?
The most common primary guidelines are §2A4.1, §2X1.1, §2X3.1 and §2A4.2. The Commission assigns the offence type mainly from the primary guideline the court applied.
Where do these figures come from?
The US Sentencing Commission's individual offender datafiles, FY2018–FY2025, using the Commission's OFFGUIDE offence type, SENTRNGE range status and SENTTCAP capped prison months. Counts under 10 are hidden.
§ 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 19. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.