Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
In the Southern District of Illinois, 470 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), higher than the 42 months for this offense type in all 94 districts together. 98% pleaded guilty, and 61% of sentences were within the g
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Firearms: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: In the Southern District of Illinois, 470 people were sentenced for firearms offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 48 months (4 years), higher than the 42 months for this offense type in all 94 districts together. 98% pleaded guilty, and 61% of sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 470 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 Against the Guideline Range
Most firearms sentences were within the guideline range, which is the recommended range the guidelines calculate for each case. 286 of the 470 sentences (61%) were within the range. 67 (14%) were below the range at the government's request, and 65 (14%) were below it without a government request.
52 sentences (11%) were above the range. In all districts, 52% of firearms sentences were within the range. For all offense types in this district, the figure was 55%.
Prison Terms in This District
443 of the 470 people (94%) received a prison term, and 22 (5%) received probation only. The median prison term was 48 months. A quarter received 77 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
The median for all offenses in the district was 71 months, so firearms cases had a lower median than the district overall. Prison terms are those imposed, not time served.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 41 | 37 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 47 | 47 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 55 | 48.5 months | 98% |
| 2019 | 58 | 55 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 41 | 37 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 50 | 46.5 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 55 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 38 | 62.5 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 35 | 51 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 50 | 46 months | 94% |
How Cases Were Resolved
461 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 9 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 47 months. After a trial it was 96 months, based on 9 people.
Of those who pleaded guilty, 54% had a written plea agreement and 46% pleaded without one. The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so it says nothing about acquittals or dismissed charges.
Mandatory Minimums and Criminal History
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 39 people (8%). Mandatory minimums were much less common in this offense type than in drug trafficking cases in the same district, where the figure was 65%.
11% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 20% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so that measure has no military counterpart here.
Which Guidelines Applied
Firearms cases were 18% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. The offense type is the Commission's category, not a single statute.
The primary guideline was §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition) for 466 people. §2K2.5 (Possession of Firearm or Dangerous Weapon in Federal Facility) applied to 1.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 201 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 269.
After Release and Financial Penalties
434 people (92%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 259 (55%), and restitution for 11 (2%).
Limits of the Comparison
The records do not show the type of firearm, the circumstances, or why a judge chose a particular sentence. Yearly counts of 35 to 58 people are small, and the medians moved from year to year in the table without any pattern the data can explain.
Scott AFB, Illinois, appears in this site's court-martial data. 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 "Firearms" (470). 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 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)
- Federal Immigration Offense 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.