Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence

District Court - Massachusetts
Referring Agency: Department of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms

Show Details   Judge Compared
To District		 Compared
To U.S.
Latest Fiscal Year 143.0 - -
Previous Fiscal Year 71.0 - -
Past 5 Years 82.5 -1.9% 3.7%
Percent not reported where cases too few to provide
meaningful comparison.
Table 1: Current and 5 Year
Average Prison Sentence Comparison

For all cases disposed of in the current fiscal year (2012) that were credited to Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV in the District of Massachusetts, the average prison sentence was 143.0 months, when looking only at cases referred by the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. During the current fiscal year, Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV has sentenced 2 defendants compared with 4 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.

Over the last five years, the average prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Saylor was 82.5 months. This was 1.9% lower than the 84.1 months typical in Massachusetts and 3.7% higher than the 79.5 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV sentenced 15 defendants during the past five years.

(CAUTION: The kinds of cases handled by individual judges influences statistical information about their sentences. It therefore is important to consider the breakdown of cases that each has handled, available below, when making judge-by-judge comparisons.)

Bar chart of start

Figure 1: Five Year Comparison of Average Prison Sentence
in Months

Figure 1 compares Judge Saylor's numbers to those for judges in this district and in the United States as a whole for cases of this type over the last five years.

During the last five years there were 11 other judges in the District of Massachusetts with information on convictions during that period. Average prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 50.6 months to 127.0 months, putting Judge Saylor's average prison sentence of 82.5 months at the higher end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole District of Massachusetts during that time was 84.1 months.

Bar chart of label

Figure 2: Detailed Comparison among Judges for the District of Massachusetts

Professional Biography

Born 1955 in Royal Oak, MI

Federal Judicial Service
Judge, U. S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

Nominated by George W. Bush on July 30, 2003, to a seat vacated by Robert E. Keeton; Confirmed by the Senate on June 1, 2004, and received commission on June 2, 2004.

Education:
Northwestern University, B.S., 1977
Harvard Law School, J.D., 1981

Professional Career:
Private practice, Boston, Massachusetts, 1981-1987, 1993-2004
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1987-1990
Special counsel & chief of staff to the assistant attorney general, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 1990-1993

Program Areas of Cases Handled

Cases disposed of by Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV for the past five years fell into a number of broad categories. The lead category for these cases was Weapons accounting for 53.3% of cases.

Other major categories with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV over the past five years were: Other (26.7%), Narcotics/Drugs (13.3%), Withheld by Govt from TRAC (6.7%).

Program Area Judge District US  
Weapons 53.3% 67.4% 69.5%  
Other 26.7% 5.4% 3.4%  
Narcotics/Drugs 13.3% 8.4% 17.7%  
Not specified 6.7% 1.1% 7.6%  

Table 2: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Lead Charges in Cases Handled

The lead charge with the most cases disposed of by Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV for the past five years was "18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts". It accounted for 60.0% of all cases.

Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV over the past five years were: "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (13.3%), "18 USC 844 - Explosives - Importation and storage of explosives" (6.7%), "18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties" (6.7%), "26 USC 5861 - Tax on Making Firearms - Prohibited acts" (6.7%), "Withheld by govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending)" (6.7%).

Lead Charge Judge District US  
18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts 60.0% 72.0% 60.6%  
21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 13.3% 13.0% 10.8%  
18 USC 844 - Explosives - Importation and storage of explosives 6.7% 2.3% 0.6%  
18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties 6.7% 1.1% 4.6%  
26 USC 5861 - Tax on Making Firearms - Prohibited acts 6.7% 1.9% 2.0%  
Not specified 6.7% 1.1% 7.6%  

Table 3: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Number of Defendants in Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV's Cases

Case Def. Sentence (Months) Sentencing Date Program Category  
1 1 51.00 04/11/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details
2 1 235.00 03/02/12 Weapons-Operation Triggerlock Major Details

Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year