Federal Administration of Justice Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
19 people in the Southern District of Illinois were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 17 of them (89%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 12 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. 2
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Administration of Justice Offense: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: 19 people in the Southern District of Illinois were sentenced for administration of justice offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 17 of them (89%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 21 months, compared with 12 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. 2 people were convicted after a trial.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 19 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Obstructing Officers Was the Most Common Guideline
This Commission category gathers offenses that interfere with courts and law enforcement. In this district, the most common primary guideline was §2A2.4 (Obstructing or Impeding Officers), with 9 people.
The others were §2J1.2 (Obstruction of Justice) with 4, §2J1.6 (Failure to Appear by Defendant) with 3, and §2J1.3 (Perjury or Subornation of Perjury) with 1. These cases were less than 1% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district.
How Long the Prison Terms Were
2 of the 19 people (11%) received probation only. Among the 17 sent to prison, the median prison term was 21 months. A quarter received 30 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
In all districts, 72% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The district's median for all offenses was 71 months. These are terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 21 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2017 | 2 | 27 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 4 | 15 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 4 | 19.5 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 34.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | 15 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 14 months | 2 of 2 |
2 Trial Convictions and 17 Guilty Pleas
17 of the 19 people (89%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 93% pleaded guilty.
The median prison term was 18 months after a guilty plea and 51 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 2 people. 53% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 47% were straight pleas.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Range
10 sentences (53%) were within the guideline range. 6 (32%) were below it at the government's request, and 1 (5%) was below it without that request. 2 (11%) were above it.
Across all districts, 48% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. Sentences for all offenses in this district were within it 55% of the time.
Criminal History, Mandatory Minimums, and Conditions
11% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 26% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 of the 19 people (5%). 9 people (47%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 6 (32%) and restitution for 2 (11%).
Reading Small Counts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 13 of the 19 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 6. No year in the table has more than 4 people, so yearly medians cannot show a trend. Fiscal year 2020 has the highest yearly median, 34.5 months, and it rests on 2 people. The lowest, 14 months in fiscal year 2025, rests on 2 people as well. The data lists only people who were convicted and sentenced.
Scott AFB, Illinois, lies in this district. Military courts, not this federal court, try courts-martial.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Administration of Justice" (19). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.