Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025
In the District of Oregon, 194 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 50.5 months (4.2 years), which is lower than the 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts together. Only 15% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 › Robbery: District of Oregon
In brief: In the District of Oregon, 194 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 50.5 months (4.2 years), which is lower than the 90 months for robbery in all 94 federal districts together. Only 15% of the sentences were within the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 194 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.
Robbery Prison Terms in Oregon and Nationwide
182 of the 194 people (94%) received a prison term, and 11 (6%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 84 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less. The median was 50.5 months.
In all 94 federal districts, 99% of robbery cases led to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. The median for all offenses in the District of Oregon was 32 months, which is lower than the robbery median. Prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Few Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range
Within the guideline range: 15% (29 people). Below the range at the government's request: 57% (111). Below the range without a government request: 23% (44). Above the range: 5% (10).
Across all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. In all offenses in this district, the figure was 22%.
Guideline and Share of Cases
Robbery is the Commission's own offense category, and these cases were 4% of the 4,319 people sentenced in the district. The most common primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery), with 187 people.
Other guidelines were used less often: §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) for 5 people and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 1.
Yearly Counts Are Small
The table shows 13 to 27 people sentenced in each fiscal year. With groups that small, one year's median can change with a few cases, and the records do not show a trend. 90 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 104 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
The fiscal year runs October 1 to the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 21 | 48.5 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 20 | 72 months | 95% |
| 2018 | 22 | 42.5 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 27 | 46 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 13 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 19 | 78 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 16 | 41 months | 100% |
| 2023 | 16 | 43.5 months | 88% |
| 2024 | 22 | 37 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 18 | 63.5 months | 100% |
Guilty Pleas and Trials
191 of 194 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 50 months. After a trial it was 168 months, based on 3 people, which is too few to support a general comparison.
All of the guilty pleas (100%) had a written plea agreement.
Mandatory Minimums, Restitution, and Criminal History
A mandatory minimum applied to 22 of the 194 people (11%). Supervised release was ordered for 181 people (93%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 171 (88%), and no fine was ordered.
By criminal history, 24% were in the lowest category and 29% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
What Cannot Be Learned From These Numbers
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not included. The records do not describe the facts of any case, so they cannot show why a sentence was above or below the guideline range.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Oregon (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Oregon") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (194). 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 Oregon, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Oregon, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Oregon, 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.