Federal Robbery Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025
The Middle District of Tennessee sentenced 177 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 175 (99%) received a prison term. The median was 84 months (7 years), lower than the 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 70 of the 177 people (40%).
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY201 › Robbery: Middle District of Tennessee
In brief: The Middle District of Tennessee sentenced 177 people for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 175 (99%) received a prison term. The median was 84 months (7 years), lower than the 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 70 of the 177 people (40%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 177 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 for Robbery
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 177 people in the offense type it labels "Robbery." Of those, 175 (99%) received a prison term, and 1 received probation only. Across all districts, 99% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 84 months (7 years). A quarter received 136 months or more, and a quarter received 49.5 months or less. The national median was 90 months, which is higher than the median here. For all offenses in this district, the median was 50 months.
Robbery cases were 6% of the 2,879 people sentenced in the district over fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Nearly all used §2B3.1 (Robbery), with 173 cases. Another 4 used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact).
Mandatory Minimums Were Common
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 70 of the 177 people (40%).
Whether a minimum applied is recorded for each person. How much it shaped any term cannot be read from these figures.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Among the 176 people with this information, 77 (44%) were sentenced below the range at the government's request. Another 48 (27%) were sentenced below it without a government request. A total of 44 (25%) were within the range, and 7 (4%) were above it.
Across all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. The share within the range was lower in this district. Across all offense types here, 26% were within the range.
Pleas and Trials
Of the 177 people, 169 (95%) pleaded guilty, and 8 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, the guilty plea rate was also 95%. A written plea agreement was part of 93% of the guilty pleas, and 5% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 84 months. After a trial, it was 250 months, based on 8 people. With only 8 trial convictions, the gap should be read cautiously, and the records give no reason for it.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 176 people (more than 99%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 121 (68%). No fines were ordered.
In the criminal history records, 23% were in the lowest category, category I, and 31% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Medians by Fiscal Year
The district sentenced 62 robbery cases in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 115 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts stay between 11 and 21 people.
The yearly median was 77 months in 2016 and 57 months in 2018. It was 117 months in 2024 and 133.5 months in 2025. The latest 2 years are higher than every earlier year in the table. The guilty plea share in 2025 was 79%, lower than any other year. These are single-year figures and the records cannot show what produced them.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 | 77 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 17 | 70 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 17 | 57 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 17 | 68 months | 94% |
| 2020 | 18 | 72 months | 94% |
| 2021 | 21 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 20 | 98.5 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 19 | 84 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 18 | 117 months | 94% |
| 2025 | 19 | 133.5 months | 79% |
What the Records Cannot Show
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are missing, because the data covers only those convicted and sentenced. The terms are the ones imposed by the court, and time served can differ.
The records do not describe any robbery, so they cannot show whether a weapon was involved or how the offense was carried out.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Tennessee Mid") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (177). 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 Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Middle District of Tennessee, 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.