The supervised release violation guidelines are policy statements in Chapter 7 of the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Their main part is the revocation table in USSG §7C1.5. It suggests a prison range for a judge who revokes supervised release. This page shows the table from the November 2026 Guidelines Manual and explains how to read it. It does not predict what any judge will do.
How long is a sentence for a supervised release violation?
There is no set number. If the judge revokes, the judge decides the prison term after an individualized assessment of your case (USSG §7C1.4(a)). The table gives the recommended starting range. The statute then sets the outer limit, based on the class of your original crime.
Revocation is not automatic for most violations. The judge may choose another response first. See what happens if you violate supervised release.
How do you read the revocation table?
Find the row for the grade of the violation. Then find the column for your criminal history category (CHC), the I-to-VI score the judge used at your original sentencing. The box where they meet is the recommended range in months.
| Grade of violation | CHC I | CHC II | CHC III | CHC IV | CHC V | CHC VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade C | 3–9 | 4–10 | 5–11 | 6–12 | 7–13 | 8–14 |
| Grade B | 4–10 | 6–12 | 8–14 | 12–18 | 18–24 | 21–27 |
| Grade A(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) below | 12–18 | 15–21 | 18–24 | 24–30 | 30–37 | 33–41 |
| Grade A(2) Where the defendant was on supervised release as a result of a sentence for a Class A felony | 24–30 | 27–33 | 30–37 | 37–46 | 46–57 | 51–63 |
CHC means criminal history category. The criminal history category is the category applicable at the time the defendant originally was sentenced to a term of supervised release. Source: USSG §7C1.5 (checked against the official Chapter 7 PDF).
For example, a Grade B violation with criminal history category III has a recommended range of 8 to 14 months. That is how the table reads, not a forecast for anyone.
The table applies "unless otherwise required by statute, and subject to an individualized assessment" (USSG §7C1.5). Your criminal history category is not recalculated, even if a later amendment would lower it for other purposes (USSG §7C1.5, Application Note 1).
What are Grade A, B and C violations?
In short, Grade A covers the most serious new crimes, Grade B covers other felony-level crimes, and Grade C covers minor crimes and breaking any other condition (USSG §7C1.1). If there is more than one violation, the most serious grade controls. For the full definitions, see how violations are graded.
The table has two Grade A rows. The higher row applies when the person was on supervised release for a Class A felony, a crime punishable by life in prison or death under 18 U.S.C. § 3559.
What is the most prison time allowed?
18 U.S.C. § 3583(e)(3) caps the prison time on any revocation by the class of the original crime:
| Original crime | Most prison time on revocation |
|---|---|
| Class A felony | 5 years |
| Class B felony | 3 years |
| Class C or D felony | 2 years |
| Any other case | 1 year |
If a recommended range would go past the cap, the cap controls, because the table applies only "unless otherwise required by statute." Mandatory revocations under § 3583(g) use the same caps.
Section 3583(k) is a special rule. It covers a person who must register as a sex offender and commits certain new crimes. The statute still says the court must revoke and give at least five years, even above these caps. But in United States v. Haymond (2019), the Supreme Court held that using that rule on a judge's finding, without a jury, violated the right to a jury trial in that case. So courts generally do not impose that five-year minimum based only on a judge's finding. Ordinary revocations under § 3583(e) are still decided by a judge. See whether there is a jury.
Can the judge order more supervised release after prison?
Yes. Under 18 U.S.C. § 3583(h) and USSG §7C1.4(c), the judge may order a new term of supervised release to follow the revocation prison term. The new term can't be longer than the supervised release term the statute authorizes for the original crime, "less any term of imprisonment that was imposed upon revocation of supervised release." If there have been earlier revocations for the same original offense, see the section on repeat revocations below.
Section 3583(h) took effect on September 13, 1994. In Johnson v. United States (2000), the Supreme Court held that it does not apply when the original offense came before that date. Revocation penalties relate to the original conviction. So using § 3583(h) in those cases would apply it to the past, and Congress did not say it should. For older offenses, the Court held that the earlier version of § 3583(e)(3) still allowed a new term of supervised release.
Do I get credit for time already on supervision?
No. Upon revocation, no credit is given toward the prison term for time you already spent on supervision (§ 3583(e)(3); USSG §7C1.6(a)). There is a narrow exception for people serving supervised release on a foreign sentence under a prisoner transfer treaty.
The Guidelines commentary adds that how well you did on supervision may still be considered when the judge picks a term within the range.
Does the revocation term run with other sentences?
Usually not. The Guidelines say a revocation prison term generally should run consecutively, meaning after, any other prison sentence you are serving. That is true whether or not the other sentence came from the same conduct (USSG §7C1.4(b)).
The commentary also covers what is left of the original sentence. Unpaid restitution or fines must still be paid. Unserved time in community confinement, home detention, or intermittent confinement must still be served, in addition to the revocation prison term. Or the court may turn that time into the same amount of prison time. (USSG §7C1.4, Application Note 4).
Probation violations are covered in a separate part of the Guidelines, Part B, with their own table. For probation as a sentence, see sentencing.net's page on federal probation.
Does the range in the table mean that is the sentence?
No. For a Grade B violation and criminal history category III, the table gives 8 to 14 months, but that does not mean a person will receive 8 to 14 months. The court must weigh the policy statement, the limits in the statute, the factors the law allows and the facts.
A disputed grade can change the row. A wrong class for the first crime can change the cap.
The class of the crime depends on the most prison time the law allows for it (18 U.S.C. § 3559), not the prison time the person got. Check the statute and the judgment, and do not use the length of the first sentence as a shortcut.
What about repeat revocations and more than one count?
Do not assume a new term of supervision is always the maximum minus only today's prison term. Section 3583(h) subtracts "any term of imprisonment that was imposed upon revocation of supervised release."
If there were earlier revocations for the same crime, bring every one of those orders to a lawyer. Terms that can last for life, and crimes from before September 13, 1994 (see Johnson above), need extra care.
If you were sentenced on more than one count, bring the judgment for each count. The table on this page shows one range at a time. It is not a calculator for total exposure.
What information is needed to apply the table and the limits?
Gather the statute you were convicted under, the date of the crime, the first judgment and the criminal history category used then. Also gather the violation petition, any earlier revocation judgments and any other sentences you are serving.
Note whether a special statutory provision, such as § 3583(g) or (k), is being raised. The table alone cannot answer every question about the sentence.