Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2019
21 Air Force courts-martial in 2019 charged Article 120 (sexual assault). Members, not a military judge alone, decided guilt in 76% of them, compared with 42% of all Air Force cases that year.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Air Force, 2019
Short answer: 21 Air Force courts-martial in 2019 charged Article 120 (sexual assault). Members, not a military judge alone, decided guilt in 76% of them, compared with 42% of all Air Force cases that year. The median confinement was 3 years, compared with 4 months, and 78% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 57%.
Officer Panels Heard the Most Cases
An accused can usually choose to have guilt decided by a military judge alone or by a panel of members. In these 2019 cases, officer panels decided 10, enlisted panels decided 6, and a military judge alone decided 5.
Members heard 76% of the cases. Across all Air Force cases in 2019, members heard 42%. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the records cannot show how many of these cases were contested.
How 2019 Compared With 2018
The number of cases was lower: 34 in 2018 and 21 in 2019. The median confinement was 3.2 years in 2018 and 3 years in 2019. Convictions that included confinement were 85% in 2018 and 71% in 2019. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 97% in 2018 and 78% in 2019.
General courts-martial were 100% of these cases in 2018 and 95% in 2019. With groups of this size, a few cases can change each percentage by a large amount, so these figures show direction more than precision.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 21 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 71% |
| Median confinement | 3.2 years | 3 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 97% | 78% |
| General courts-martial | 100% | 95% |
Sentences at Both Ends
11 of 21 convictions (52%) were sentenced to more than one year of confinement, compared with 20% of all Air Force cases in 2019. 6 (29%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, and 5 (24%) to more than 1 year but under 5 years.
At the other end, 6 convictions (29%) had no confinement at all. That share was higher than the 15% across the Air Force. 3 (14%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 50% Air Force-wide. 1 was sentenced to between 6 months and 1 year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 29% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 3 | 14% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 24% | 12% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 29% | 8% |
Median Confinement
15 of the 21 sentences included confinement. Among them, the median was 3 years and a quarter were 9 years or longer. The median for all Air Force cases in 2019 was 4 months.
Every figure here is the sentence adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one also reflects all the charges in the case.
Discharges and Dismissals
14 of 18 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 12 dishonorable and 2 bad-conduct. The rate across all Air Force cases in 2019 was 57%. All 3 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed, which is the officer form of a punitive discharge.
For the enlisted members sentenced without one, a later administrative separation was still possible. The records do not track that step.
Rank, Court Level, and Added Charges
The accused were 13 junior enlisted members, 5 NCOs, and 3 officers, a more senior group than all Air Force cases in 2019. 20 of the 21 cases were general courts-martial (95%), compared with 50% Air Force-wide. A general court-martial is the only level that can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.
Article 120 was the only charge in 10 of the 21 cases. Article 128 (assault) was charged with it in 5 and Article 134 (general article) in 4. Article 107 (false official statement), Article 80 (attempt), and Article 112a (drug) were each charged in 1.
Versions of the Law and Gaps in the Records
Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. A trial in 2019 can involve either version, depending on when the offense happened. The records list trial dates only, so the version cannot be identified.
Air Force records rarely list the charges when a case ends in a full acquittal, and this page reports no acquittal rate. Plea agreements, the evidence, and allegations resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are also outside these records.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2019 that charged Article 120 (21 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2018.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2018 (previous / next)
- How Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2020 (previous / next)
- Is Air Force Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2016–2025 (the full trend)
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2022
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2023
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120 Conviction in the Air Force?
- S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath (podcast, members)
- Article 120 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
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.