Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY2016–2025
16 people were sentenced for stalking or harassing offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 14 (88%) received a prison term, with a median of 16.5 months, compared with 24 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. All 16 pleaded guilty.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Illinois, FY20 › Stalking and Harassment: Southern District of Illinois
In brief: 16 people were sentenced for stalking or harassing offenses in the Southern District of Illinois in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 14 (88%) received a prison term, with a median of 16.5 months, compared with 24 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts together. All 16 pleaded guilty.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 16 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 Lower Median Than the All-District Figure
Among the 14 people sent to prison, the median prison term was 16.5 months. A quarter received 46.2 months or more, and a quarter received 12 months or less.
The all-district median for this offense type was 24 months, so this district's median was lower. The district's median for all offenses was 71 months. These are the terms imposed, not the time served.
1 person (6%) received probation only. In all districts, 89% of people in this offense type were sent to prison.
The Threatening Communications Guideline
The Commission's label "Stalking/Harassing" combines stalking and harassment crimes. In this district, §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications) was the primary guideline for 14 people. §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence) applied to 1.
These cases were less than 1% of the 2,576 people sentenced in the district. Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 account for 6 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 account for 10.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 19.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2018 | 2 | 27 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 6.9 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2020 | 1 | 18 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2021 | 1 | 12 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | n/a | 1 of 1 |
| 2023 | 2 | 120 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2024 | 4 | 50.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 15 months | 1 of 1 |
Sentences Relative to the Guideline Range
8 of the 16 sentences (50%) were within the guideline range. 3 (19%) were below it at the government's request, and 3 (19%) were below it without that request. 2 (13%) were above it.
In all districts, 47% of sentences in this offense type were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 55%.
Guilty Pleas Only
All 16 people (100%) pleaded guilty, and none was convicted after a trial. 63% of the guilty pleas had a written plea agreement, and 38% were straight pleas. For all districts, 92% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty.
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
12 people (75%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 10 (63%), and restitution for 3 (19%).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 16 people. 50% of the people were in the lowest criminal history category, category I, and 19% were in the highest, category VI.
What Small Yearly Numbers Mean
No year in the table has more than 4 people. Fiscal year 2023 shows a median of 120 months for 2 people, and fiscal year 2019 shows 6.9 months for 2 people. Those differences come from very small groups and show no trend. Fiscal year 2024 has the most people in the table, 4, with a median of 50.5 months. Fiscal year 2025 has 1 person and a median of 15 months. Because these groups are so small, the records cannot show whether sentences changed over time.
The data lists only people sentenced after a conviction, and it does not describe the conduct in any case. Scott AFB, Illinois, lies in this district, and its courts-martial are held in military courts.
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 "Stalking/Harassing" (16). 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 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 Sexual Abuse 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.