Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025
Of the 96 people sentenced for robbery in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 95 (99%) received a prison term. The median was 111 months (9.2 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 46 people (48%).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY201 › Robbery: Southern District of Alabama
In brief: Of the 96 people sentenced for robbery in the Southern District of Alabama in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 95 (99%) received a prison term. The median was 111 months (9.2 years), compared with 90 months across all 94 federal districts. A mandatory minimum applied to 46 people (48%).
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 96 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 96 people in this district whose offense type was Robbery. Of these, 95 (99%) received a prison term, and 0 received probation only.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 111 months (9.2 years). A quarter received 147.5 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less.
Across all districts, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery, 99% were sent to prison, and the median prison term was 90 months. The median here was higher. For all offenses in this district, the median was 41 months.
Mandatory Minimums and Guidelines
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 46 of the 96 people with that information recorded (48%). All of these cases used one primary guideline, §2B3.1 (Robbery), which applied to 95 people.
Robbery cases were 3% of the 2,994 people sentenced in this district in the period.
Guilty Pleas and Trials
Of the 96 people, 91 (95%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 108.5 months after a guilty plea and 207 months after a trial, based on 5 people.
In all districts, 95% pleaded guilty for robbery. For all offenses in this district, the share was 97%. Among guilty pleas here, 91% had a written plea agreement, and 9% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Sentences Within the Range
All 96 people had guideline information. Of these, 64 (67%) were sentenced within the range. Another 22 (23%) were below it without a government request, and 9 (9%) were below it at the government's request. 1 person (1%) was above the range.
In all districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. The share here was higher. For all offenses in this district, it was 56%.
Restitution, Supervised Release, and Criminal History
Restitution was ordered for 64 people (67%). No fine was ordered (0). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 95 people (99%), with a median term of 36 months.
In criminal history, 22% were in the lowest category (category I), and 20% were in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Fiscal Year
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 48 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 48. Counts were between 11 and 14 in each year from 2016 to 2021 and between 4 and 7 from 2022 to 2025.
Medians in the table range from 63 months in 2022 to 132 months in 2023. Years with 4 to 7 people are small, so the table does not by itself show a trend. Fiscal years begin October 1.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 | 84.5 months | 92% |
| 2017 | 12 | 74 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 11 | 120 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 13 | 77 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 12 | 118.5 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 14 | 115.5 months | 86% |
| 2022 | 5 | 63 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2023 | 6 | 132 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 121 months | 5 of 7 |
| 2025 | 4 | 112.5 months | 4 of 4 |
Limits of the Records
The Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records do not describe the facts of any case or whether a weapon was involved.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Alabama (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Alabama South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (96). 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 Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Alabama, 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.