Federal Robbery Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025
30 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the Northern District of Mississippi in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 90 months (7.5 years), the same as for all 94 districts. 6 of the 30 were convicted after a trial, a larger share than the trial share in the national and di
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, F › Robbery: Northern District of Mississippi
In brief: 30 people were sentenced for robbery offenses in the Northern District of Mississippi in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 90 months (7.5 years), the same as for all 94 districts. 6 of the 30 were convicted after a trial, a larger share than the trial share in the national and district figures.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 30 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.
Trials Were More Common Than Elsewhere in the Data
24 of the 30 people (80%) pleaded guilty, and 6 were convicted after a trial. In all 94 districts, 95% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 98%.
The median prison term was 84 months after a guilty plea and 203 months after a trial. The trial figure comes from 6 people, so it describes this group and does not predict any other case.
Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement.
Prison Terms
29 of the 30 people (97%) received a prison term, and 1 (3%) received probation only. In all districts, 99% were sent to prison.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 90 months (7.5 years). A quarter received 136 months or more, and a quarter received 63 months or less. The median for all offenses in this district was 36 months. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 of the 30 people with that information recorded (40%).
The Offense Type and Its Guideline
"Robbery" is a category the U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns from the main guideline used at sentencing. The primary guideline was §2B3.1 (Robbery) for 29 people. For 1 person it was §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
Robbery cases were 2% of the 1,573 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The district sentenced 10 people in this offense type in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 20 people in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Position Against the Guideline Range
Sentences within the range were given to 14 people (47%). Sentences below the range at the government's request were given to 11 (37%), and below the range without a government request to 2 (7%). Sentences above the range were given to 3 (10%).
For all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 45%.
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Restitution was ordered for 19 people (63%), and no fine was ordered. Supervised release after prison was ordered for 29 people (97%), with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 33% were in the lowest category, Category I, and 17% were in the highest, Category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts Are Very Small
Yearly counts run from 1 to 7 people. Fiscal year 2022 has 1 person and no median, shown as n/a. A fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends the next September.
In fiscal year 2023, 7 people were sentenced and only 3 of them pleaded guilty. This is the only year in the table with that pattern, and the records do not show why. No trend can be read from counts this small.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 133 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2017 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2018 | 4 | 160 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2019 | 1 | 72 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2020 | 6 | 57 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 2 | 31.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 7 | 121 months | 3 of 7 |
| 2024 | 1 | 77 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 95 months | 3 of 3 |
Limits of the Data
Columbus AFB, Mississippi, is in this district and appears in this site's court-martial data. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the Commission's data.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Northern District of Mississippi (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Mississippi North") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (30). 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 Mississippi, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, 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.