Sentencing Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the federal and state sentencing terms used throughout the Navigate Justice calculator. Educational only — not legal advice.

USSG (U.S. Sentencing Guidelines)

The advisory rulebook federal judges use to calculate sentence ranges, published annually by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

The USSG assigns each federal offense a base offense level (1–43), then applies specific-offense characteristics, role adjustments, acceptance of responsibility, and other factors. The final offense level is cross-referenced with the defendant's Criminal History Category on the Sentencing Table in Chapter 5, Part A to produce an advisory imprisonment range in months. Since United States v. Booker (2005), the guidelines are advisory, not mandatory.

Source: 2024 Guidelines Manual

Criminal History Category (I–VI)

A six-level classification of a defendant's prior record used on the federal Sentencing Table.

Criminal history points are assigned to prior sentences based on their length and recency under USSG §4A1.1. Total points map to Category I (0–1 points, least severe) through Category VI (13+ points, most severe). A higher category shifts the advisory range upward on the Sentencing Table.

Offense Level

A 1–43 numeric rating of the seriousness of a federal offense under the USSG.

The base offense level for each crime is set by the guideline for that offense (Chapters 2–3). Adjustments add or subtract levels for factors like weapon possession, victim vulnerability, acceptance of responsibility, obstruction of justice, and role in the offense. The final adjusted offense level is one axis of the Sentencing Table.

FSA (First Step Act)

A 2018 federal law that lets eligible BOP inmates earn time credits toward prerelease custody or supervised release.

The First Step Act of 2018 created Earned Time Credits (ETCs) for eligible federal inmates who complete evidence-based recidivism-reduction programming and productive activities. Minimum- and low-risk PATTERN inmates earn credits faster. Certain offenses listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3632(d)(4)(D) are statutorily excluded from earning FSA credits.

Source: 18 U.S.C. § 3632

PATTERN

The Bureau of Prisons risk-assessment tool used to classify federal inmates as minimum, low, medium, or high recidivism risk.

PATTERN (Prisoner Assessment Tool Targeting Estimated Risk and Needs) scores inmates on static and dynamic factors. The score controls how quickly an inmate accrues FSA Earned Time Credits and whether they qualify to apply those credits toward prerelease custody or supervised release.

RDAP (Residential Drug Abuse Program)

A 500-hour BOP substance-use treatment program that can reduce a federal sentence by up to 12 months.

RDAP is a unit-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e). Eligible nonviolent inmates who successfully complete it may receive up to a 12-month sentence reduction, plus additional halfway-house or home-confinement placement.

Source: 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e)

Good Conduct Time (GCT)

Up to 54 days per year credited to federal inmates for good behavior under 18 U.S.C. § 3624.

Federal inmates serving sentences of more than one year (other than life) may earn up to 54 days of Good Conduct Time for each year of the sentence imposed. In practice this reduces most federal sentences to about 85% of the imposed term before other credits are applied.

Source: 18 U.S.C. § 3624

Sentencing Grid

A two-axis table (offense severity × prior-record score) used by structured-sentencing states to set presumptive ranges.

States such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Washington, and Kansas publish grids where each cell contains a presumptive minimum and maximum sentence. Judges must sentence within the cell absent statutory grounds for departure.

Required Time Served / Truth-in-Sentencing

The statutory percentage of a sentence an inmate must serve before parole or release eligibility.

Many states set minimum time-served percentages by offense class — commonly 85% for violent offenses under federal Truth-in-Sentencing grant standards, and lower percentages for non-violent offenses. The percentage combined with good-time and earned-time credits determines actual release date.

Departure vs. Variance

Two ways a federal judge can sentence outside the advisory USSG range.

A departure is authorized by the guidelines themselves (e.g., substantial assistance under §5K1.1). A variance is a sentence outside the advisory range based on the 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors after Booker. Both must be explained on the record.