Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025
The District of Rhode Island sentenced 22 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 22 pleaded guilty and all were sent to prison, with a median term of 48 months (4 years). Across all 94 federal districts, the median for robbery was 90 months. 12 of the 22 (55%) were sentenced below the
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–20 › Robbery: District of Rhode Island
In brief: The District of Rhode Island sentenced 22 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 22 pleaded guilty and all were sent to prison, with a median term of 48 months (4 years). Across all 94 federal districts, the median for robbery was 90 months. 12 of the 22 (55%) were sentenced below the guideline range without a government request.
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.
Where the Median Term Stands Against National and District Figures
The 22 people each received a prison term (100%), and none received probation only. A quarter of them received 60 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less.
In all 94 districts, 99% of 14,845 people sentenced for robbery went to prison, and their median term was 90 months. The district's median for every offense type combined was 33 months. These are imposed terms, not time served.
Sentences Under the Guideline Range
The most common result, 12 of 22 sentences (55%), was a sentence below the guideline range with no request from the government. A sentence under the range without such a request is one the court chose on its own. 4 (18%) were below it at the government's request. 5 (23%) were inside the range, and 1 (5%) was over it.
The share inside the range was 40% for robbery in all districts and 22% for all offenses in this district. A mandatory minimum applied to 2 of the 22 people (9%).
Guilty Pleas Throughout
None of the 22 cases ended in a trial conviction. Everyone (100%) pleaded guilty, so the records hold no trial figures to compare with the plea figures, compared with 98% for all offenses in the district and 95% for robbery across the country.
Of the guilty pleas, 64% came with a written plea agreement, and 36% were straight pleas.
Restitution, Supervision, and Criminal History
Courts ordered restitution for 19 people (86%) and a fine for none. Supervised release followed prison for 21 people (95%), with a median term of 36 months.
Only 5% had the lowest criminal history category I, while 32% had the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so the military data has no matching measure.
Few Cases in Any Year
Robbery was 2% of the 1,015 people the district sentenced. The district sentenced 14 of them in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
The table has a row for 8 fiscal years. The largest group was 5 people, in fiscal year 2016, and the others had 2 to 4. Medians ranged from 18.1 months in fiscal year 2018 to 84.9 months in fiscal year 2025. These groups are too small to show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 | 84 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2017 | 4 | 44.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 18.1 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 3 | 48 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2020 | 2 | 45 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 42 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 2 | 43.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 84.9 months | 2 of 2 |
Guideline Used and What Is Not Recorded
All 22 people had §2B3.1 (Robbery) as their primary guideline. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
The data covers only convicted, sentenced people. Whether a weapon was involved, what was taken, and how much time was served are not in the records.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Rhode Island (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Rhode Island") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (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.
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 Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Rhode Island, 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.