The Sentencing Commission's website is a treasure trove of information. As part of its mission, the Commission is tasked with constantly tweaking the guidelines to conform with statutory guidance. 

Today the Commission released its 2024 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics. This valuable resource breaks down nationwide sentencing statistics. It provides insights, often by individual districts, regarding information such as the number of individuals sentenced, the number of Guidelines sentences and departures from the Guidelines, the racial and educational demographics of people who are sentenced, what crimes are charged, and a wealth of other interesting statistical information. 

On a lark I uploaded the Sourcebook to an artificial intelligence and asked it to provide insights specific to my home district, the Eastern District of North Carolina. Here is what it provided (make sure you double check before citing any of this because artificial intelligence is pretty notorious for "hallucination"): 

Breakdown of Sentencing in the Eastern District of North Carolina (2024)

General Sentencing Overview

• In Fiscal Year 2024, 823 cases were sentenced in the Eastern District of North Carolina, making it the busiest district in the state.
• Only 7 cases went to a jury trial, meaning 99.2% of cases were resolved through guilty pleas or other non-trial resolutions.

Sentences Relative to Federal Guidelines

• 55.2% of sentences were within the guideline range, making it more guideline-adherent than many other districts.
• 25.5% of sentences involved downward departures for substantial assistance, a high rate compared to the Middle District (4.6%) and the Western District (8.9%).
• 17.1% of sentences were downward variances not related to government motions, meaning judges rarely exercised discretion to sentence below guidelines without prosecutorial recommendations.
• Only 1.6% of cases involved upward variances, where judges imposed sentences above the guideline range.

Comparison to Other North Carolina Districts

• Middle District of North Carolina (283 cases):
  • 46.3% within guidelines
  • 4.6% substantial assistance departures
  • 48.4% downward variances (higher than Eastern)
• Western District of North Carolina (304 cases):
  • 49.0% within guidelines
  • 8.9% substantial assistance departures
  • 40.5% downward variances.

Comparison to National Sentencing Trends

• Nationally, 45.7% of cases were sentenced within the guideline range, meaning the Eastern District of North Carolina is more likely to follow guidelines than the national average.
• The Eastern District's 25.5% substantial assistance departure rate is significantly higher than the national rate of 9.9%, suggesting frequent cooperation between defendants and prosecutors.
• The Eastern District's downward variance rate (17.1%) is below the national average of 33.0%, meaning judges here grant fewer non-government-requested sentence reductions than in many other districts.

Key Takeaways

• The Eastern District of North Carolina sentences more individuals than any other district in the state.
• Nearly all cases end in guilty pleas rather than trials.
• Judges generally adhere to sentencing guidelines more than the national average, with a lower rate of judicial downward variances.
• Defendants in this district receive a high number of sentence reductions for cooperation, compared to the rest of North Carolina and the U.S.

This data highlights how the Eastern District of North Carolina operates within federal sentencing structures, emphasizing guideline adherence and cooperation incentives while maintaining a relatively low rate of judicial discretion in lowering sentences.