Federal Stalking and Harassment Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025
All 27 people sentenced in the "Stalking/Harassing" offense type in the Western District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years), compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts, where 89% of people in this type were s
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY201 › Stalking and Harassment: Western District of Michigan
In brief: All 27 people sentenced in the "Stalking/Harassing" offense type in the Western District of Michigan in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term. The median prison term was 30 months (2.5 years), compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts, where 89% of people in this type were sent to prison.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 27 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.
Threats and Stalking Guidelines Split the Cases
The U.S. Sentencing Commission assigns each case an offense type based on the main guideline used at sentencing. In this district, 14 cases used §2A6.1 (Threatening or Harassing Communications), and 13 used §2A6.2 (Stalking or Domestic Violence).
These guidelines cover different kinds of conduct, so the combined numbers describe a mix of cases. These cases were less than 1% of the 3,034 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms in This District and Nationally
All 27 people (100%) were sent to prison, and none received probation only. A quarter received 45 months or more, and a quarter received 13.5 months or less.
The median of 30 months was longer than the national median of 24 months. It was shorter than the district's median of 51 months for all offenses. Terms are those imposed, and the data do not show time served.
Pleas and the One Trial
A total of 26 people (96%) pleaded guilty, and 1 person was convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement and 19% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 27 months. The one person convicted at trial received 37 months. A single case cannot show how trial and plea sentences compare.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 0 of the 27 people.
Sentences Against the Guideline Range
The guideline range was followed for 16 people (59%). Sentences for 8 people (30%) were below it without a government request, and for 1 person (4%) below it at the government's request. 2 people (7%) received sentences above it.
The within-range share was 47% for this type nationally and 54% for all offenses in this district.
After Prison and Criminal History
All 27 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 9 (33%), and restitution for 7 (26%).
By criminal history, 48% were in the lowest category, category I, and 11% were in the highest, category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Limits of the Data
The district sentenced 13 people in this type from fiscal year 2016 to 2019 and 14 from 2020 to 2025. The yearly table shows between 1 and 6 people per year, with medians from 8 months in 2025 to 60 months in 2018. Those medians rest on very few cases.
People who were acquitted or whose cases were dismissed are not in the Commission's data, and the records do not show the facts behind each sentence.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 19 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2017 | 6 | 33.5 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2018 | 1 | 60 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 31.5 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2020 | 3 | 24 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2021 | 3 | 12 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 2 | 25.5 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2023 | 1 | 24 months | 1 of 1 |
| 2024 | 4 | 37.5 months | 3 of 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 months | 1 of 1 |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Michigan (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Michigan West") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Stalking/Harassing" (27). 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 Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, 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.