{
  "source": "U.S. Sentencing Commission, Commission Datafiles, individual-offender records (public). https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles",
  "snapshot": "2026-06-26",
  "fy_window": { "start": 2020, "end": 2025 },
  "slice_n": 378458,
  "note": "Aggregate analysis only. No individual offender is identified. Medians exclude life/indeterminate sentences (USSC sentinel totprisn=9996); those are reported as rates in life_sentence_rates.",
  "national": {
    "plea": { "disposition": "Guilty Plea (DISPOSIT=1)", "median_months": 21, "n": 368256 },
    "trial": { "disposition": "Jury Trial (DISPOSIT=3)", "median_months": 110, "n": 8125 },
    "bench": { "disposition": "Bench Trial (DISPOSIT=4)", "median_months": 37, "n": 326 },
    "trial_vs_plea_factor": 5.2
  },
  "life_sentence_rates": {
    "plea": { "life_n": 235, "total_n": 368491, "rate_pct": 0.1 },
    "trial": { "life_n": 542, "total_n": 8667, "rate_pct": 6.3 },
    "bench": { "life_n": 3, "total_n": 329, "rate_pct": 0.9 }
  },
  "offense_gaps": [
    { "label": "Drug Trafficking", "offguide_code": "10", "plea_median_months": 60, "plea_n": 104854, "trial_median_months": 180, "trial_n": 2060 },
    { "label": "Firearms", "offguide_code": "13", "plea_median_months": 37, "plea_n": 48611, "trial_median_months": 90, "trial_n": 1161 },
    { "label": "Fraud / Theft / Embezzlement", "offguide_code": "16", "plea_median_months": 7, "plea_n": 29344, "trial_median_months": 45, "trial_n": 1049 },
    { "label": "Immigration", "offguide_code": "17", "plea_median_months": 4, "plea_n": 123302, "trial_median_months": 21, "trial_n": 397 }
  ],
  "circuit_gaps": [
    { "circuit": "10th", "plea_median_months": 15, "plea_n": 29130, "trial_median_months": 120, "trial_n": 492 },
    { "circuit": "6th", "plea_median_months": 46, "plea_n": 25370, "trial_median_months": 146, "trial_n": 829 },
    { "circuit": "8th", "plea_median_months": 54, "plea_n": 28020, "trial_median_months": 151, "trial_n": 808 },
    { "circuit": "3rd", "plea_median_months": 30, "plea_n": 12699, "trial_median_months": 117.5, "trial_n": 470 },
    { "circuit": "11th", "plea_median_months": 36, "plea_n": 29134, "trial_median_months": 120, "trial_n": 1094 },
    { "circuit": "5th", "plea_median_months": 12, "plea_n": 109110, "trial_median_months": 90, "trial_n": 941 },
    { "circuit": "4th", "plea_median_months": 42, "plea_n": 25020, "trial_median_months": 120, "trial_n": 729 },
    { "circuit": "7th", "plea_median_months": 50, "plea_n": 12756, "trial_median_months": 120, "trial_n": 526 },
    { "circuit": "2nd", "plea_median_months": 24, "plea_n": 16481, "trial_median_months": 84, "trial_n": 608 },
    { "circuit": "9th", "plea_median_months": 12, "plea_n": 67766, "trial_median_months": 70, "trial_n": 1080 },
    { "circuit": "1st", "plea_median_months": 36, "plea_n": 10809, "trial_median_months": 66, "trial_n": 267 },
    { "circuit": "DC", "plea_median_months": 30, "plea_n": 1961, "trial_median_months": 36, "trial_n": 281 }
  ]
}