Federal Environmental Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
Of the 17 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1 (6%) received a prison term and 13 (76%) received probation only. In all 94 federal districts together, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. All 17 pleaded gu
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Environmental Offense: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: Of the 17 people sentenced for environmental offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 1 (6%) received a prison term and 13 (76%) received probation only. In all 94 federal districts together, 28% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. All 17 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 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.
Probation Was the Usual Result
13 of the 17 people (76%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Only 1 person (6%) was sent to prison. In all districts, 28% of people in this offense type went to prison.
The single prison term was 5 months, which is also the all-district median. Because only 1 person is involved, the upper and lower quarter figures repeat the same 5 months and show no spread. The prison table lists that term in fiscal year 2018 and leaves the other years without a median.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 |
| 2017 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 5 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | n/a | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | n/a | 6 of 6 |
Fines and Restitution
A fine was ordered for 13 people (76%), and restitution for 11 (65%). 1 person (6%) was ordered to serve supervised release after prison, for a median of 12 months.
Fines and restitution are financial orders, and they were recorded for more people in this group than prison terms were. Restitution is money ordered paid to cover a loss.
Fish, Wildlife, and Hazardous Substances
The most common primary guideline was §2Q2.1 (Offenses Involving Fish, Wildlife, and Plants), with 12 people. §2Q1.2 (Mishandling of Hazardous or Toxic Substances or Pesticides) applied to 2.
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district, so the offense type is a very small part of the caseload.
Pleas and Plea Agreements
All 17 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. 94% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 6% were straight pleas. In all districts, 98% pleaded guilty.
Guideline Range, Mandatory Minimums, and Criminal History
9 sentences (53%) were within the guideline range. 2 (12%) were below it at the government's request, and 6 (35%) were below it without that request. None was above it. For this offense type in all districts, 50% were within the range.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 17 people. 76% were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI.
Counts by Year and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 6 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 11. Fiscal year 2025 has the most in the table, 6 people. With 1 person ever sent to prison, the records cannot support any statement about typical prison terms for this offense type in this district.
The data lists only people who were sentenced after a conviction, so it cannot show cases that ended in acquittal or dismissal, or cases handled without a federal charge. It also does not describe the species, substances, or places involved. Scott AFB, Illinois, lies in this district, and its courts-martial are tried in military courts.
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 "Environmental" (17). 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 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.