Federal Robbery Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025
183 people were sentenced for robbery in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 97% received a prison term, and the median was 78 months (6.5 years). The median prison term for robbery in all 94 districts was 90 months.
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In brief: 183 people were sentenced for robbery in the Western District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 97% received a prison term, and the median was 78 months (6.5 years). The median prison term for robbery in all 94 districts was 90 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 183 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 Sentences in This District
The 183 people sentenced for robbery were less than 1% of the 76,480 people sentenced in the district. The U.S. Sentencing Commission calls this offense type "Robbery" and labels the district "Texas West".
178 of the 183 (97%) received a prison term, and 4 (2%) received probation only. The median prison term was 78 months. A quarter received 135 months or more, and a quarter received 48 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence.
One Guideline, Many Cases
Every one of the 183 cases had the same primary guideline, §2B3.1 (Robbery). The primary guideline is the one that set the offense level for the most serious count.
Because the offense type and the guideline match, the figures here describe a single guideline's cases.
Trials Were Few but Prison Terms Were Long
178 of 183 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 78 months. After a trial it was 427 months, based on 5 people.
With only 5 people in the trial group, the 427-month figure is not a reliable measure of trial sentences generally. In all 94 districts, 95% of robbery cases ended in a guilty plea.
Of the guilty pleas, 69% had a written plea agreement and 31% were straight pleas with no agreement.
How Often Sentences Matched the Guideline Range
For all 183 people, 45% (82) were within the guideline range. 20% (36) were below the range at the government's request, and 23% (42) were below it without a government request. 13% (23) were above the range.
In all 94 districts, 40% of robbery sentences were within the range. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 31 of the 183 people (17%).
Comparison With All Districts and All Offenses
In all 94 districts, 14,845 people were sentenced for robbery. 99% were sent to prison. Both the share sent to prison and the median prison term were lower in this district.
The median for every offense type in this district was 10 months, so the robbery median was higher than the district's overall median.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Yearly Counts
178 people (97%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 128 (70%), and a fine for 32 (17%). 29% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 14% were in the highest.
In fiscal years 2016 to 2019, 91 people were sentenced. In fiscal years 2020 to 2025, 92 people were sentenced. The yearly table shows 11 to 28 people a year, with medians from 54.5 months to 142 months. Counts this small make a single year's median uneven.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 | 60 months | 93% |
| 2017 | 28 | 81 months | 93% |
| 2018 | 26 | 73.5 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 22 | 54.5 months | 100% |
| 2020 | 11 | 78 months | 100% |
| 2021 | 13 | 142 months | 92% |
| 2022 | 18 | 132.5 months | 94% |
| 2023 | 15 | 70 months | 100% |
| 2024 | 17 | 102 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 18 | 65 months | 100% |
What Is Not in the Data
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not counted. The records also give no facts about any case. Courts-martial at military installations in the district are tried in military courts and are separate from these figures.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Robbery" (183). 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 Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Texas, 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.