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# Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-stalking-harassing-sentences-district-of-new-jersey/
- Published: 2026-11-04T10:32:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T10:32:28.000Z
- Description: 15 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 13 (87%) received a prison term, with a median of 19.7 months. The median for this offense type in all 94 districts was 24 months.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-new-jersey/) › Stalking and Harassment: District of New Jersey

**In brief:** 15 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. 13 (87%) received a prison term, with a median of 19.7 months. The median for this offense type in all 94 districts was 24 months.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 15 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Prison Terms and How They Compare

The U.S. Sentencing Commission category "Stalking/Harassing" accounted for 15 people in this district over the 10 fiscal years. That is less than 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district.

13 of the 15 (87%) received a prison term, and 1 (7%) received probation only. In all 94 districts, 89% of the 2,263 people in this category were sent to prison, which is about the same share.

The median prison term in this district was 19.7 months. A quarter received 37 months or more, and a quarter received 15 months or less. The all-districts median was 24 months, and the median for all offenses in the district was 37 months. Both are higher than the 19.7 months here.

## Guilty Pleas and Trials

Guilty pleas accounted for 13 of the 15 people (87%), while 2 were convicted after a trial. For comparison, 92% pleaded guilty in all districts and 97% in all offenses in this district.

Those who pleaded guilty had a median prison term of 16 months. Those convicted at trial had a median of 72 months, but that rests on only 2 people. Each guilty plea came with a written plea agreement.

## Most Sentences Were Within the Guideline Range

The guideline range is the sentence range calculated under the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Sentences within the range numbered 9 of 15 (60%). Another 3 (20%) were below the range at the government's request and 2 (13%) were below it without that request. 1 sentence (7%) was above the range.

The within-range share here is higher than the 47% for all districts in this category and the 37% for all offenses in the district. No one had a mandatory minimum prison term recorded.

## Guidelines Used

The most common primary guideline was §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications), with 11 people. §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence) applied to 3\. §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)) applied to 1.

In criminal history terms, 73% were in category I, the lowest, and 0% were in category VI, the highest.

## Supervised Release and Financial Orders

13 people (87%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 36 months. A fine was ordered for 2 people (13%). Restitution was ordered for 0 (0%).

## Year-by-Year Counts

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 3 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 12\. Each year in the table has 1 to 3 people. The median in fiscal year 2020 was 87 months, and in fiscal year 2021 it was 8 months, but these come from 2 people each and are not trends.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 2                | 29.4 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2019        | 1                | 19.7 months   | 1 of 1         |
| 2020        | 2                | 87 months     | 1 of 2         |
| 2021        | 2                | 8 months      | 2 of 2         |
| 2023        | 2                | 35.5 months   | 1 of 2         |
| 2024        | 3                | 15 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2025        | 3                | 26 months     | 3 of 3         |

## What Is Not in the Data

Only people who were convicted and sentenced appear in this data, so acquittals and dismissals are absent. The prison terms shown were imposed by the court and are not time served. Nothing here describes the facts of any case. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (15). 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-new-jersey/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-new-jersey/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-new-jersey/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-new-jersey/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-district-of-new-jersey/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.