Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
In the Northern District of Illinois, 551 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 541 (98%) received a prison term, with a median of 70 months (5.8 years). The median across all 94 districts was 90 months. For all offenses in the district, it was 42 months.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY20 › Robbery: Northern District of Illinois
In brief: In the Northern District of Illinois, 551 people were sentenced for robbery in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of them, 541 (98%) received a prison term, with a median of 70 months (5.8 years). The median across all 94 districts was 90 months. For all offenses in the district, it was 42 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 551 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 Terms in This District Compared With All Districts
The median prison term for robbery here was 70 months (5.8 years). A quarter received 108 months or more, and a quarter received 40 months or less.
The all-district median was 90 months, which is higher. The district's median for all offenses was 42 months, which is lower than its robbery median.
In all districts, 99% of people sentenced for robbery were sent to prison. Probation only was given to 8 people (1%) in this district.
Yearly Medians From Fiscal Year 2016 to 2025
The yearly median was 58.5 months in fiscal year 2016 and 102 months in fiscal year 2025. The highest median was 117.5 months in fiscal year 2024, based on 34 people.
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 have 302 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 have 249 people. Yearly counts range from 34 to 112. The data shows the medians but cannot show why they changed. The fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 64 | 58.5 months | 98% |
| 2017 | 57 | 63.5 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 112 | 57 months | 96% |
| 2019 | 69 | 60 months | 93% |
| 2020 | 38 | 72 months | 97% |
| 2021 | 36 | 90 months | 92% |
| 2022 | 43 | 63 months | 84% |
| 2023 | 43 | 78 months | 95% |
| 2024 | 34 | 117.5 months | 85% |
| 2025 | 55 | 102 months | 93% |
Trial Convictions and Guilty Pleas
Of the 551 people, 515 (93%) pleaded guilty, and 36 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 95% pleaded guilty. The district figure for all offenses was 93%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 66 months. After a trial it was 128.5 months, based on 36 people convicted at trial and sent to prison.
Among the guilty pleas, 96% had a written plea agreement, and 4% were straight pleas.
Mandatory Minimums and Supervised Release
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 124 of the 551 people (23%). Supervised release was ordered for 536 people (97%), with a median term of 36 months.
Restitution was ordered for 414 people (75%), and a fine for 6 (1%).
Guideline Range Results
The sentence was within the guideline range for 156 people (28%). It was below the range without a request from the government for 318 (58%), and below it at the government's request for 73 (13%). Above the range were 4 (less than 1%).
In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the share was 29%.
Guideline and Criminal History
"Robbery" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 547 people, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 3.
In criminal history, 22% were in the lowest category (Category I), and 25% were in the highest (Category VI). Robbery cases were 9% of the 6,211 people sentenced in the district.
Great Lakes and the Limits of the Data
Great Lakes, Illinois, is a military installation in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not here. These federal cases are not from the installation.
The data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. It includes no acquittals or dismissals, no time-served figures, and no case facts.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (551). 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 Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Illinois, 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.