Federal Kidnapping Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
All 14 people sentenced for kidnapping in the Northern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2019 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 270 months (22.5 years), compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 federal districts. One person received a life sentence.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY20 › Kidnapping: Northern District of Illinois
In brief: All 14 people sentenced for kidnapping in the Northern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2019 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 270 months (22.5 years), compared with 155 months for kidnapping in all 94 federal districts. One person received a life sentence.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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.
Prison Terms in Kidnapping Cases
Every one of the 14 people (100%) received a prison term. No one received probation only. The median prison term was 270 months (22.5 years). A quarter received 447 months or more, and a quarter received 155 months or less. A life sentence was imposed on 1 person.
For kidnapping in all 94 districts, the median prison term was 155 months, and more than 99% were sent to prison. For all offenses in the Northern District of Illinois, the median prison term was 42 months. The kidnapping median here was higher than both.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 14 people, 9 (64%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 84% of kidnapping cases ended in a guilty plea. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 93%.
The median prison term was 188 months after a guilty plea and 456 months after a trial. The trial figure is based on 5 people. Among the guilty pleas, 8 of 9 had a written plea agreement, and 1 of 9 was a straight plea with no agreement.
The records cannot show why trial and plea terms differ. The groups may differ in the facts of the cases.
What the Offense Type Contains
"Kidnapping" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's category, and it is based on the primary sentencing guideline. All 14 cases used §2A4.1 (Kidnapping, Abduction, Unlawful Restraint).
These cases were less than 1% of the 6,211 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 of the 14 people (21%).
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
In all, 5 people (36%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Another 2 (14%) were below it at the government's request, and 6 (43%) were below it without a government request. 1 person (7%) was above the range.
For kidnapping in all 94 districts, 33% of sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 29%.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
All 14 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered. Restitution was ordered for 9 people (64%).
In criminal history, 36% were in the lowest category and 14% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Timing of the Cases
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 1 person, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 13. The largest single year was fiscal year 2025, with 8 people. Each fiscal year begins in October and ends the following September.
The yearly medians in the table range from 60 months to 470 months. With 1 to 8 people in a year, they are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 470 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 408 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 60 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2025 | 8 | 270 months | 4 of 8 |
Limits of This Data
This data set includes only people who were convicted and sentenced, so a kidnapping case that ended in acquittal or dismissal is absent. The prison terms shown are the sentences imposed. They do not tell how long anyone actually served.
The district contains the Great Lakes, Illinois, installation. Military trials for service members take place in courts-martial, which are separate from the federal court that produced these numbers.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Kidnapping" (14). 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern 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.