Federal Robbery Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025
The median prison term for robbery in the Southern District of Indiana was 114 months (9.5 years) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 256 people were sentenced, and 255 of them received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts, the median robbery prison term was 90 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY201 › Robbery: Southern District of Indiana
In brief: The median prison term for robbery in the Southern District of Indiana was 114 months (9.5 years) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 256 people were sentenced, and 255 of them received a prison term. For all 94 federal districts, the median robbery prison term was 90 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 256 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.
Median Prison Terms for Robbery
Among the 255 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 114 months. A quarter received 173.5 months or more, and a quarter received 72 months or less. 2 people received a life sentence.
The median for all 94 districts was 90 months, so the median in this district was higher. For all offenses in the Southern District of Indiana, the median prison term was 70 months. These are the terms imposed, not time served.
Mandatory Minimums Applied to Most Cases
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 148 of the 256 people (58%). A mandatory minimum is a prison term set by statute that a judge must impose in most situations.
Robbery in this data is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. Every one of the 256 cases had the same primary guideline, §2B3.1 (Robbery). The records do not separate the federal robbery statutes that were charged.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
40% of sentences (102 people) were within the guideline range, which matches the 40% for all 94 districts. 21% (55 people) were below the range at the government's request. 33% (84 people) were below the range without a government request, and 6% (15 people) were above the range.
For all offenses in this district, 43% of sentences were within the range.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 | 60 months | 8 of 9 |
| 2017 | 38 | 88 months | 87% |
| 2018 | 43 | 120 months | 91% |
| 2019 | 27 | 108 months | 89% |
| 2020 | 21 | 166 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 20 | 99 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 28 | 126.5 months | 96% |
| 2023 | 15 | 119 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 34 | 120 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 21 | 108 months | 100% |
Guilty Pleas and Trials
241 of 256 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 15 were convicted after a trial. The guilty plea rate was 95% for all 94 districts and 97% for all offenses in this district.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 111 months. After a trial, it was 346 months, based on 15 people. The groups differ in more ways than the plea, and the records do not show what produced the gap.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 83% had a written plea agreement and 17% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Supervision, Fines, and Restitution
255 people (more than 99%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 83 people (32%), and restitution for 167 (65%).
In criminal history, 27% were in the lowest category, category I, and 14% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Robbery in the District's Caseload
Robbery cases were 6% of the 4,205 people sentenced in this district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 117 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 139 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
Yearly counts ranged from 9 to 43 people. Because of these small counts, a single-year median such as 166 months in fiscal year 2020 should not be read as a trend.
What the Records Cannot Show
The U.S. Sentencing Commission data counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in it. The records also do not describe the facts of any robbery.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Indiana South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (256). 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 Indiana, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Child Pornography Sentences in the Southern District of Indiana, 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.