Federal Burglary and Trespass Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025
Of the 12 people sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for burglary or trespass in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 9 (75%) went to prison, and the median prison term was 1.6 months. The median for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts together was 18 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY201 › Burglary and Trespass: Southern District of Florida
In brief: Of the 12 people sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for burglary or trespass in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 9 (75%) went to prison, and the median prison term was 1.6 months. The median for the same offense type in all 94 federal districts together was 18 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 12 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.
Why Is the Median Only 1.6 Months?
Federal burglary and trespass cases in this district usually ended in a prison term of a few weeks or months. The median was 1.6 months. A quarter of the 9 people received 4 months or more, and a quarter received 0.9 months or less.
Of the 3 people who were not sent to prison, 2 (17%) received probation only. The records do not classify the remaining person. Terms are those the judge imposed, not time actually served.
For comparison, 674 people in all 94 districts were sentenced in this offense type. 80% of them were sent to prison, and the median term was 18 months.
Trespass Dominated the Group
This post covers the Sentencing Commission's "Burglary/Trespass" offense type. The primary guideline for 8 of the 12 people was §2B2.3 (Trespass). For 3 people it was §2B2.1 (Burglary of a Residence or a Structure Other than a Residence).
The group is less than 1% of the 17,081 people sentenced in this district over the same years. Their median prison term can be set beside the district-wide median of 32 months.
No Trials
Every one of the 12 people pleaded guilty. That is 100%, against 97% in all 94 districts and 95% for every offense type in this district.
Only 33% of the pleas came with a written plea agreement. 67% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guidelines
Federal judges first calculate a guideline range for each case. In 10 of the 12 cases (83%), the sentence was inside that range. 1 sentence (8%) was below it at the government's request, and 1 (8%) was above it.
The within-range share was 63% for this offense type in all 94 districts and 55% for all offenses in this district. No one in this group had a mandatory minimum.
After Prison
9 people (75%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 24 months. No fine was ordered. Restitution went to 2 people (17%).
Criminal history was mostly low: 58% were in the lowest category and 0% in the highest.
The Years Behind the Total
The district sentenced 9 people in this category in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 3 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Individual years hold between 1 and 4 people.
Yearly medians run from 0 months to 16 months, and one year has no median listed. A group this small does not support a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 2.8 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 16 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0.9 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1.6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 months | 1 of 1 |
What Is Missing
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced, so people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are absent. The records also say nothing about what happened in any single case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Florida (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Florida South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Burglary/Trespass" (12). 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 Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Florida, 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.