Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
Of 163 people sentenced for robbery in the District of Kansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 160 (98%) received prison. The median prison term was 71.5 months (6 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts. Restitution was ordered for 109 people (67%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › Robbery: District of Kansas
In brief: Of 163 people sentenced for robbery in the District of Kansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 160 (98%) received prison. The median prison term was 71.5 months (6 years), compared with 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts. Restitution was ordered for 109 people (67%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 163 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 Shorter Than the National Median
The median prison term was 71.5 months. For robbery cases in all districts together, the median was 90 months, so the Kansas term was shorter.
A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 41 months or less. The median is the middle value of all the prison terms. Only 1 person (less than 1%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
The district's median for all offense types was 46 months, so robbery terms were longer than the district's cases overall.
Sentences Relative to the Guideline Range
The largest group, 44% (72), was sentenced below the guideline range at the government's request. Within the range were 34% (55). The guideline range is the sentencing range calculated for each case under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Below the range without a government request were 11% (18), and above the range were also 11% (18). In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range.
The Guideline Used
The Commission's category "Robbery" is assigned by the primary guideline in each sentence. For 161 of the 163 people, it was §2B3.1 (Robbery).
The other 2 people were sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). Robbery cases were 4% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
There were 159 guilty pleas (98%) and 4 convictions after a trial. The median was 70 months after a guilty plea and 228.5 months after a trial, which is based on 4 people.
Among guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas with no agreement. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 32 of the 163 people (20%).
Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release is a period of supervision after prison. It was ordered for 159 people (98%), with a median term of 36 months. No fine was ordered, and restitution was ordered for 109 people (67%).
The lowest criminal history category, category I, applied to 16% of people. The highest, category VI, applied to 23%.
Yearly Counts
The district sentenced 81 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 82 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Counts fell from 27 and 28 in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 to 7 in fiscal year 2025.
Medians from years with 7 to 14 people can change with a few sentences, so they are not trends.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27 | 73 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 28 | 75 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 14 | 68.5 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 12 | 63 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 14 | 71.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 19 | 68 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 20 | 78 months | 90% |
| 2023 | 12 | 70.5 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 10 | 71 months | 90% |
| 2025 | 7 | 57 months | 7 of 7 |
Installations and Limits of the Data
Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in this district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and these numbers are federal civilian cases only.
Only convicted and sentenced people are counted, so dismissals and acquittals are missing. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (163). 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 Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.