Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of Illinois, 108 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 108 pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 78 months (6.5 years), lower than the 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal d
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Child Pornography: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: In the Southern District of Illinois, 108 people were sentenced for child pornography (images of child exploitation) offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 108 pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 78 months (6.5 years), lower than the 90 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. Only 30% of sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 108 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.
Sentences Mostly Below the Guideline Range
Of the 108 people, 32 (30%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 16 (15%) were below the range at the government's request, and 53 (49%) were below it without a government request. 7 (6%) were above the range.
For this offense type in all districts, 32% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%. The records show that a sentence below the range without a government request was the most common single result for this offense type in the district.
Prison Terms
103 of the 108 people (95%) received a prison term, and 3 (3%) received probation only. The median prison term was 78 months. A quarter received 126.5 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less.
The district's median for all offenses was 71 months. Terms are those imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | 65 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 14 | 108.5 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 12 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 12 | 60 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 7 | 60 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2021 | 12 | 75 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 12 | 82.5 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 11 | 162 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 8 | 78.5 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2025 | 7 | 72 months | 7 of 7 |
No Trials, and Mostly Straight Pleas
No one in this group was convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 71% were straight pleas with no written agreement, and 28% had a written plea agreement.
The Commission's data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced, so it does not show cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal.
Mandatory Minimums and Criminal History
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 79 of the 108 people (73%). 76% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI.
Child pornography cases, which the federal statutes and the Commission describe with that term, were 4% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor), which applied to all 108 people.
After Prison and Money Orders
103 people (95%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 5 people (5%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 65 people (60%) and restitution for 41 (38%).
Limits of These Numbers
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 51 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 57. Yearly counts are small, from 7 to 14 people, and the median in a single year can move a great deal on a few cases.
The records do not describe the images, the number of items, or the reasons behind any sentence. Scott AFB, Illinois, appears in this site's court-martial data, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
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 "Child Pornography" (108). 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.