Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 117 people were sentenced for robbery in the District of Connecticut. The median prison term was 77.5 months, which is lower than the 90-month median for robbery cases in all 94 districts. Robbery cases were 4% of the district's 3,174 sentenced people.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–202 › Robbery: District of Connecticut
In brief: In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 117 people were sentenced for robbery in the District of Connecticut. The median prison term was 77.5 months, which is lower than the 90-month median for robbery cases in all 94 districts. Robbery cases were 4% of the district's 3,174 sentenced people.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 117 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.
The Median Prison Term for Robbery
Among the 112 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 77.5 months (6.5 years). A quarter received 108.5 months or more, and a quarter received 39.5 months or less.
For robbery in all 94 districts together, the median was 90 months. For all offenses in the District of Connecticut, the median was 36 months. Robbery terms here were therefore longer than the district's overall median and shorter than the national robbery median.
Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How Many Received Prison
Of the 117 people, 112 (96%) received a prison term. Another 3 (3%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Nationally, 99% of people sentenced for robbery were sent to prison.
After prison, 113 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release. The median term was 36 months. No fine was ordered (0), and restitution was ordered for 79 people (68%).
Mandatory Minimums and Guidelines
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 26 of the 117 people (22%). A mandatory minimum sets the lowest sentence a judge may impose for a charge.
Every case in this group used the same primary guideline, §2B3.1 (Robbery), for 117 people. The offense type "Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's category.
Sentences Compared With the Guideline Range
Only 25% of sentences (29 people) were within the guideline range. The national figure for robbery was 40%.
Below-range sentences were more common. Of the 117 people, 31% (36) were below the range at the government's request, and 43% (50) were below the range without a government request. Only 2% (2 people) were above the range.
Pleas and the Trial Cases
Of the 117 people, 115 (98%) pleaded guilty and 2 were convicted after a trial. All guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 77.5 months. After a trial it was 166.5 months, but that is based on only 2 people and cannot support a comparison.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Yearly counts are small, from 5 people in fiscal year 2022 to 17 people in fiscal year 2016. The median prison term was 40 months in fiscal year 2021 and 108 months in fiscal year 2023.
With so few people in each year, these swings should not be read as a trend. From fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 56 people were sentenced. From fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 61 people were sentenced.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 17 | 71 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 16 | 66 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 11 | 78 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 12 | 63 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 9 | 66 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2021 | 12 | 40 months | 92% |
| 2022 | 5 | 96 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 16 | 108 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 6 | 69.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2025 | 13 | 86.5 months | 100% |
What Is Not in the Records
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. In criminal history, 30% were in the lowest category and 23% in the highest.
The records do not describe the facts of any robbery or explain any sentence.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Connecticut (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Connecticut") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (117). 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 District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Connecticut, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Tax Offense Sentences in the District of Connecticut, 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.