Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025
14 people were sentenced for stalking or harassing offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 13 (93%) received prison terms with a median of 36 months (3 years). 6 sentences (43%) were above the guideline range.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY201 › Stalking and Harassment: Eastern District of Arkansas
In brief: 14 people were sentenced for stalking or harassing offenses in the Eastern District of Arkansas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 13 (93%) received prison terms with a median of 36 months (3 years). 6 sentences (43%) were above the guideline range.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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.
Sentences Above the Range
6 of the 14 sentences (43%) were above the guideline range, and 6 (43%) were within it. 2 (14%) were below the range without a government request. None were below it at the government's request.
For all 94 districts, 47% of sentences for this offense type were within the range. For every offense in this district, the share was 55%. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 14 people.
Prison Terms
The median for the 13 people sent to prison was 36 months. The longest quarter received 120 months or more, and the shortest quarter received 16.4 months or less. The all-district median was 24 months, and the median for every offense in this district was 50 months.
1 person (7%) received probation only. Of the 2,263 people sentenced for this offense type in all districts, 89% went to prison. The terms are those imposed at sentencing, not time served.
The Guidelines Behind the Category
The Commission's "Stalking/Harassing" type is based on each case's primary guideline. 12 people were sentenced under §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications). 2 were sentenced under §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence).
These cases were less than 1% of the 4,942 people sentenced in the district in fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
Pleas
All 14 people (100%) pleaded guilty, so there were no trial convictions in this group. In all districts, 92% pleaded guilty, and across all offenses in this district the share was 98%.
64% of the guilty pleas were made under a written plea agreement, and 36% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Criminal History and Supervision
43% of the group were in the lowest criminal history category, and 43% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field, so there is no military comparison.
13 people (93%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 1 person (7%), and restitution for 1 (7%).
Small Yearly Counts
6 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 8 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. 2017 had 5 people with a median of 120 months, and 2021 had 2 people with a median of 235.3 months. Most other listed years had 1 person. Counts this small do not show a trend, and n/a in 2020 means no median was reported.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 5 | 120 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2020 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 235.3 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2022 | 2 | 23.2 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | 120 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 16 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 36 months | 1 of 1 |
Limits of the Records
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, is in this district. Military courts, not this federal court, try courts-martial.
The data covers only convicted and sentenced people. It has no acquittals or dismissals, and it does not describe what any person said or did.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Eastern District of Arkansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arkansas East") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (14). 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 Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Prison Offense Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Eastern District of Arkansas, 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.