Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025
17 people were sentenced for stalking and harassment offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 15 (88%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 8.3 months. All 94 federal districts together report a median of 24 months for this offense type.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY › Stalking and Harassment: Southern District of California
In brief: 17 people were sentenced for stalking and harassment offenses in the Southern District of California in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 15 (88%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 8.3 months. All 94 federal districts together report a median of 24 months for this offense type.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 17 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.
Do Trials Lead to Longer Prison Terms Here?
In this district, the 3 people convicted after a trial had a median prison term of 37 months. The 14 people who pleaded guilty had a median of 6.5 months. Guilty pleas were 82% of the 17 cases.
The trial number rests on only 3 people. It describes those 3 sentences, and the records cannot show whether trials in general produce longer terms. Among those who pleaded guilty, all had a written plea agreement.
How Does the Local Prison Rate Compare With the National Rate?
The Commission's Stalking/Harassing category covers 2,263 people across all districts. 89% of them were sent to prison, and 92% pleaded guilty.
In this district, 88% were sent to prison, and 1 person (6%) received probation only. A quarter of those sent to prison received 16.8 months or more. Another quarter received 6 months or less. None of the 17 had a mandatory minimum prison term.
Guidelines Used Most Often
The primary guideline is the single guideline the Commission lists for each case. §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications) was listed for 9 cases. §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence) was listed for 7.
Across the district's 32,099 sentenced people in these fiscal years, stalking and harassment cases were less than 1%. The district-wide median prison term for all offenses was 15 months.
Where Sentences Fell Against the Guideline Range
24% of the sentences (4) were within the guideline range. 65% (11) were below the range at the government's request. One sentence (6%) was below the range without a government request, and one (6%) was above it.
For this offense type across all districts, sentences within the range were 47%. For all offenses in this district, that share was 15%.
Supervised Release, Money Orders, and Prior Record
14 people (82%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison. The median term was 36 months. 3 people (18%) were ordered to pay a fine, and 3 (18%) were ordered to pay restitution.
76% of the people had a criminal history in category I, the lowest, and 0% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records do not have this field.
Year-by-Year Numbers
The table gives each fiscal year with a row. A fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends the following September. 5 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 12 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025.
The largest yearly count is 5 people, in 2023. Counts this small do not support any statement about a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 12 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2021 | 1 | 6 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 5 | 12 months | 3 of 5 |
| 2024 | 1 | 3.2 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 7.2 months | 3 of 4 |
Limits of the Data
Everyone counted here was convicted and sentenced. Anyone acquitted or whose case was dismissed is missing. The prison terms are the terms ordered, which can differ from time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (17). 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 Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of California, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Money Laundering Sentences in the Southern District of California, 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.