Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
22 people were sentenced in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under the Commission's offense type "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses". 17 (77%) received a prison term, with a median of 15 months, compared with 18 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts togeth
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Obscenity and Other Sex Offense: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: 22 people were sentenced in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under the Commission's offense type "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses". 17 (77%) received a prison term, with a median of 15 months, compared with 18 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. All 22 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 22 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.
Failure to Register Was the Main Guideline
This label bundles several unlike crimes, so its numbers describe a mixed group. The most common primary guideline was §2A3.5 (Failure to Register as a Sex Offender), with 17 people. §2G3.1 (Importing, Mailing, or Transporting Obscene Matter) applied to 5.
Across the district, 2,576 people were sentenced in these years, and this offense type was less than 1% of them. The count is small, so a single person can change a percentage by several points.
Prison Terms
17 of the 22 people (77%) received a prison term, and 4 (18%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 15 months. A quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
In all districts, 95% of people in this offense type were sent to prison. The median for all offenses in this district was 71 months. Terms are the sentences imposed rather than time in custody.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 18 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2017 | 4 | 27 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 13.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 7.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | n/a | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 4.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 21 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 12 months | 2 of 2 |
No Trials, and Mostly Straight Pleas
All 22 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. 64% of the guilty pleas were straight pleas with no written agreement, and 36% had a written plea agreement.
Because the source lists only people sentenced after a conviction, it cannot show how many charged people were acquitted or had charges dismissed.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
11 of the 22 sentences (50%) were within the guideline range. 2 (9%) were below it at the government's request, and 9 (41%) were below it without that request. None was above it.
For this offense type in all districts, 54% of sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 22 people.
Supervised Release and Criminal History
17 people (77%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. A fine was ordered for 11 (50%), and restitution for none.
27% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 18% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 10 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 12. The table lists no more than 6 people in any year, and the medians range from 4.1 months to 27 months. Those yearly figures are too small to show a trend.
This district includes Scott AFB, Illinois. Courts-martial for people at the base are military proceedings and are not part of these federal numbers.
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 "Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses" (22). 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.