Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
People convicted at trial in the Southern District of Indiana had a median prison term of 240 months, based on 134 trial convictions in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. After a guilty plea, the median was 65 months. Across all 4,205 people sentenced, the median prison term was 70 months, compared with 24
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In brief: People convicted at trial in the Southern District of Indiana had a median prison term of 240 months, based on 134 trial convictions in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. After a guilty plea, the median was 65 months. Across all 4,205 people sentenced, the median prison term was 70 months, compared with 24 months in all 94 federal districts.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 4,205 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.
Trial Convictions and Their Sentences
Trials were uncommon. 4,071 of the 4,205 people (97%) pleaded guilty, the same rate as all districts, and 134 were convicted after a trial.
All 134 people convicted at trial were sent to prison, and their median prison term was 240 months. The median after a guilty plea was 65 months.
These groups differ in more than how the case ended. They were charged with different offenses, and the records cannot show how much of the gap comes from the trial itself.
Statutory Floors and Life Terms
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2,104 people (50%). Under a mandatory minimum, the law sets the lowest prison term the court may generally impose.
20 people received a life sentence. Another 114 (3%) were ordered to serve supervised release for life after prison.
Prison Terms Across the District
3,986 of the 4,205 people (95%) received a prison term, more often than the 91% figure nationally. 155 (4%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 70 months (5.8 years). A quarter of those sent to prison received 135 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. These are the terms imposed by the court, not time served.
Which Offenses Carried the Longest Terms?
Sexual abuse had the longest median in the table, 300 months, for 177 people (4%). Drug trafficking, the largest group with 1,557 people (37%), had a median of 120 months.
Child pornography (images of child exploitation) cases also had a median of 120 months, for 227 people (5%). Robbery had 256 people (6%) and a median of 114 months.
Firearms accounted for 1,008 people (24%), with a median of 46 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement accounted for 397 (9%), with a median of 27 months. Money laundering had 147 people and a median of 79 months.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,557 | 37% | 120 months | 97% |
| Firearms | 1,008 | 24% | 46 months | 98% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 397 | 9% | 27 months | 97% |
| Robbery | 256 | 6% | 114 months | 94% |
| Child Pornography | 227 | 5% | 120 months | 99% |
| Sexual Abuse | 177 | 4% | 300 months | 97% |
| Immigration | 148 | 4% | 12 months | 100% |
| Money Laundering | 147 | 3% | 79 months | 89% |
Position Against the Guideline Range
Guideline information was available for all 4,205 people. 43% (1,825) received a sentence within the recommended range, compared with 48% nationally.
24% (999) were below the range at the government's request. 30% (1,261) were below the range without such a request. 3% (120) were above it.
Pleas, Payments, and Prior Records
Of the guilty pleas, 89% came with a written plea agreement and 11% were straight pleas.
A fine was ordered for 1,640 people (39%), and restitution for 923 (22%). Supervised release was ordered for 3,851 (92%), with a median term of 36 months.
35% of those sentenced were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 16% were in category VI, the highest. Courts-martial keep no such field.
By Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 1,639 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 2,566 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The periods differ in length.
The yearly median prison term was 60 months in 2016 and 71 months in 2020. It was 96 months in 2023 and 80 months in 2025.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 330 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2017 | 423 | 66 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 414 | 70 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 472 | 60 months | 96% |
| 2020 | 537 | 71 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 413 | 60 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 515 | 66 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 393 | 96 months | 97% |
| 2024 | 352 | 87 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 356 | 80 months | 98% |
What Remains Unknown
The Commission counts people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are absent. The records do not explain why the district's terms were longer than the national median, and they hold no details of any single case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (4,205). 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)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- 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.