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# Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-stalking-harassing-sentences-southern-district-of-ohio/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:04:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:04:48.000Z
- Description: In the Southern District of Ohio, 24 people were sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of those, 22 (92%) received a prison term, and the median was 36.5 months (3 years), compared with 24 months in all 94 federal districts.
- 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 Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-ohio/) › Stalking and Harassment: Southern District of Ohio

**In brief:** In the Southern District of Ohio, 24 people were sentenced for stalking and harassing offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of those, 22 (92%) received a prison term, and the median was 36.5 months (3 years), compared with 24 months in all 94 federal districts.

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 24 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/).

## A Higher Median Than the Nationwide Figure

The median prison term for the 22 people sent to prison was 36.5 months. A quarter received 54 months or more, and a quarter received 16.2 months or less. One person (4%) received probation only.

In all districts, 89% of 2,263 people were sent to prison for this offense type. For all offenses in the Southern District of Ohio, the median was 36 months, about the same as the median for stalking and harassing cases here.

## Threatening Communications and Stalking Guidelines

"Stalking/Harassing" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type, assigned by the primary guideline in each case. In this district, 16 cases used §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications) and 7 used §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence).

These cases were less than 1% of the 5,580 people sentenced in the district.

## Within the Range Most Often

The sentence was within the guideline range for 11 people (46%), which is about the same as the 47% for this offense type in all districts. For all offenses in this district, 27% were within the range.

For 5 people (21%), the sentence was below the range at the government's request, and for 4 (17%) below it without a request. For 4 (17%), it was above the range.

## One Trial Conviction

Of the 24 people, 23 (96%) pleaded guilty and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 36 months after a guilty plea and 60 months after the trial, which is a single case.

Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement. In all districts, 92% pleaded guilty for this offense type. The data cannot show dismissals or acquittals.

## Supervised Release, Fines, and Criminal History

Supervised release was ordered for 21 people (88%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 3 (13%), and restitution for 4 (17%). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 of the 24 people (8%).

In criminal history, 42% were in the lowest category and 13% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Counts by Year and Limits

Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 7 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 17\. No year had more than 6 people, and yearly medians in the table range from 0 months to 108 months. These counts are too small to show a trend.

Wright-Patterson AFB is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this federal court. The prison terms are those imposed, not time served. The records do not describe the facts of any case, and they leave out people who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 1                | 108 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2018        | 3                | 40 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2019        | 3                | 24 months     | 3 of 3         |
| 2020        | 2                | 26.2 months   | 2 of 2         |
| 2021        | 4                | 46 months     | 4 of 4         |
| 2022        | 6                | 20 months     | 6 of 6         |
| 2023        | 1                | 0 months      | 1 of 1         |
| 2024        | 2                | 30 months     | 1 of 2         |
| 2025        | 2                | 49.5 months   | 2 of 2         |

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Ohio South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (24). 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.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## 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 Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-southern-district-of-ohio/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-southern-district-of-ohio/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-southern-district-of-ohio/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-southern-district-of-ohio/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-immigration-sentences-southern-district-of-ohio/) (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.