Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025
In the District of Kansas, 16 of the 19 people (84%) sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 24.9 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. With 19 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, this i
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 › Stalking and Harassment: District of Kansas
In brief: In the District of Kansas, 16 of the 19 people (84%) sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 24.9 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. With 19 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, this is a small group.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 19 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.
A Small Group With Mostly Prison Sentences
The U.S. Sentencing Commission recorded 19 people sentenced in the District of Kansas under its "Stalking/Harassing" offense type. Of these, 16 (84%) received a prison term, and 3 (16%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
For all 94 districts, 2,263 people were sentenced in this offense type, and 89% were sent to prison. Prison was somewhat less common in Kansas. The group is small, so the difference may reflect only a few cases.
Prison Terms
Among those sent to prison in Kansas, the median prison term was 24.9 months (2.1 years). A quarter received 46.5 months or more, and a quarter received 10.5 months or less.
The national median was 24 months, so the medians were about the same. The median for all offenses in the District of Kansas was 46 months.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 19 people (0%).
Sentences Above the Guideline Range
A sentence within the guideline range went to 10 people (53%). A sentence above the range went to 4 (21%). Below the range at the government's request: 3 (16%). Below the range without a government request: 2 (11%).
The group is only 19 people. Nationally, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range, and for all offenses in the district the figure was 42%.
Guilty Pleas and the One Trial
A total of 18 of 19 people (95%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 21 months after a guilty plea and 46 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on a single person.
Among the guilty pleas, 94% had a written plea agreement and 6% were straight pleas. The national rate of guilty pleas was 92%, and for all offenses in the district it was 97%.
Guidelines Used in These Cases
Stalking/Harassing is the Commission's category, based on the primary guideline. The most common in this district was §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications), with 12 cases. Next was §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence), with 7.
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,217 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 16 people (84%), with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 5 (26%), and no fine was ordered (0%).
On criminal history, 53% were in the lowest category, category I, and 0% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year and Limits
There were 5 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 14 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. The table lists the years in the sheet, with 1 to 6 people per year, so no year shows a trend.
The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced, so acquittals and dismissals are not included. The records do not show what conduct was involved in any case. Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, and McConnell AFB are in the district. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 3 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 60 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 9 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 3 | 25.6 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2024 | 2 | 17.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 30 months | 6 of 6 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (19). 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.
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 District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Kansas, 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.