Federal Sexual Abuse Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
All 139 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 120 months (10 years), lower than the 180 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. 33 people were convicted after a tr
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Sexual Abuse: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: All 139 people sentenced for sexual abuse offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median was 120 months (10 years), lower than the 180 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. 33 people were convicted after a trial, and 76% pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 139 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.
Every Case Ended in Prison
139 of 139 people (100%) received a prison term. None received probation only. 1 person received a life sentence.
Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 120 months. A quarter received 240 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. For all districts, the median in this offense type was 180 months, and more than 99% were sent to prison.
The district's median for all offenses was 71 months. Terms are those imposed, not time served.
A Higher Share of Trials
106 of the 139 people (76%) pleaded guilty, and 33 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 90% pleaded guilty in this offense type, and in this district the figure for all offenses was 97%.
The median prison term was 120 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. The records show the same median for both groups.
Among those who pleaded guilty, 53% had a written plea agreement and 47% had no agreement. The data covers only people who were convicted, so it does not show how many people were acquitted at trial.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 | 237.5 months | 5 of 6 |
| 2017 | 7 | 324 months | 7 of 7 |
| 2018 | 4 | 240 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2019 | 11 | 240 months | 82% |
| 2020 | 6 | 240 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2021 | 18 | 132 months | 89% |
| 2022 | 32 | 120 months | 72% |
| 2023 | 31 | 120 months | 55% |
| 2024 | 19 | 120 months | 79% |
| 2025 | 5 | 121 months | 4 of 5 |
Which Guidelines Applied
The offense type is the Commission's category. It is not limited to one statute. The most common primary guideline was §2G1.3 (Promoting a Commercial Sex Act or Prohibited Sexual Conduct with a Minor), with 96 people. §2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material) applied to 43.
Sexual abuse cases were 5% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 115 of the 139 people (83%). 70 sentences (50%) were within the guideline range. 23 (17%) were below it at the government's request, and 34 (24%) were below it without that request. 12 (9%) were above it.
Across all districts, 41% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%.
77% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 3% were in the highest, category VI.
Supervised Release and Financial Orders
All 139 people were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 60 months, and 20 people (14%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 106 people (76%) and restitution for 12 (9%).
Counts by Year and Limits
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 28 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 111. Yearly counts range from 4 to 32 in the table, so single years are small and do not show a trend.
The records do not describe the offenses or the people involved. Scott AFB, Illinois, appears in this site's court-martial data, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal district court.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Illinois (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Illinois South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Sexual Abuse" (139). 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 Illinois, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern 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.