Federal Burglary and Trespass Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025
In the District of Utah, 14 of the 16 people sentenced for burglary or trespass offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (88%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 22 months, higher than the 18 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. Sentences below the guideline range at the go
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 › Burglary and Trespass: District of Utah
In brief: In the District of Utah, 14 of the 16 people sentenced for burglary or trespass offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (88%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 22 months, higher than the 18 months for this offense type in all 94 districts. Sentences below the guideline range at the government's request were more common than sentences within the range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 16 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.
Below-Range Sentences Were Common
Of the 16 people with guideline information, 56% (9) were sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request, and 44% (7) were sentenced within the range. None were sentenced above the range or below it without a government request.
For all 94 districts in this offense type, 63% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in the District of Utah, the figure was 24%. The Utah burglary and trespass group was therefore less often within the range than the national group and more often than the district's cases overall.
Prison Rates and Median Terms
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 16 people under the offense type "Burglary/Trespass." 14 of them (88%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only. In all districts, 80% of the 674 people in this offense type went to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 22 months. A quarter received 26.5 months or more, and a quarter received 9.8 months or less. The median for all offenses in the District of Utah was 30 months, which is higher than the burglary and trespass median.
These are terms imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | n/a | 0 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 28.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 1 | 27 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 8 | 19 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2022 | 2 | 14.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
Guidelines Behind the Cases
The offense type is the Commission's category. The most common primary guideline was §2B2.1 (Burglary of a Residence or a Structure Other than a Residence), with 13 people. The next was §2B2.3 (Trespass), with 3 people.
These cases made up less than 1% of the 7,061 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
14 of 16 people (88%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The rate for all districts in this offense type was 97%, and the rate for all offenses in the District of Utah was 99%. Guilty pleas were less common here than in either comparison.
Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement. No one entered a straight plea with no agreement.
The Commission data includes only people who were convicted and sentenced, so it does not show cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal.
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Restitution was ordered for 14 people (88%), and a fine for 3 (19%). 14 people (88%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 16 people with that information recorded.
In this group, 31% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 25% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
How Many Cases Were There Each Year?
There were 5 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 11 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The yearly table shows that 8 of the 16 were sentenced in fiscal year 2021, with a median prison term of 19 months. Most other years have 1 or 2 people, and fiscal year 2025 shows a median of 0 months for 1 person.
One busy year and several small ones do not show a trend. The yearly medians should be read as descriptions of very small groups.
What the Records Cannot Show
Hill AFB, Utah, is in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court, and this post reports federal numbers on their own.
The records do not describe the facts of any case, and they cannot show why a sentence was below the range or why one person received a longer term than another.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Utah (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Utah") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Burglary/Trespass" (16). 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.
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 District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Utah, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Utah, 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.