Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2022

Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Air Force, 2022

Based on 31 cases · 2022 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Most Accused Pleaded Not Guilty

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either to every charge or through a mixed plea. 25 of the 31 Article 120 cases were contested, and 6 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 81%, compared with 47% across all Air Force cases. It was 77% in 2021.

In a contested case, guilt is decided on the evidence rather than on the accused's own admission. In 2022, most Article 120 cases in the Air Force were contested. Contested cases were much less common across all Air Force cases.

A partial acquittal is a finding of not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another. 21 of the 25 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal (84%).

Members Heard Most Contested Cases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In 2022, members heard 61% of these cases with the forum listed: 15 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. A military judge alone heard the other 12.

Members heard 19 of the 25 contested cases (76%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split between judge and members follows the high contested share.

Confinement Was Measured in Years

28 of 31 convictions included confinement (90%). The median confinement was 2.6 years. The median for all Air Force cases in 2022 was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences were 5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

23 of 31 convictions (74%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 28% Air Force-wide. 14 convictions (45%) were sentenced to between 1 and 5 years. 9 (29%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 7% across the Air Force. Only 3 convictions (10%) were sentenced to under 6 months. 3 (10%) had no confinement, the same as the 10% Air Force-wide.

Almost All Cases Were General Courts-Martial

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. 30 of these 31 cases were general courts-martial (97%), compared with 57% of all Air Force cases in 2022.

Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. All but 1 of these cases were general courts-martial. The long sentences and dishonorable discharges described here were all adjudged by general courts-martial.

Most Discharges Were Dishonorable

27 of 28 convicted enlisted members (96%) received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, compared with 59% for the Air Force as a whole. 24 of those 27 were dishonorable discharges, the most severe type of punitive discharge.

The officer equivalent is a dismissal. The records list 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Changes From 2021

There were 22 cases in 2021 and 31 in 2022. The median confinement was 2 years in 2021 and 2.6 years in 2022. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 90% in 2021 and 96% in 2022. The general court-martial share was 95% in 2021 and 97% in 2022. The share of convictions with confinement was 95% in 2021 and 90% in 2022. In small groups a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precision.

Other Charges, Rank, and Bases

17 of 31 cases charged other articles with Article 120. Article 128 (assault) was the most common, in 10 cases. Article 112a (drug) was charged in 4, and Article 120b (child sexual abuse), Article 131b (obstruction), and Article 92 (orders violation) in 3 each.

The accused were 18 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 10 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. This mix is similar to all Air Force cases in 2022, where 58% were junior enlisted.

Spangdahlem AB, Germany, tried 3 cases. Hill AFB, Utah, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, Fairchild AFB, Washington, and Travis AFB, California, each tried 2. Together they account for 35% of the total. Larger bases try more cases of every kind.

Later Rules and What the Records Do Not Show

Article 120 is a covered offense under later changes that gave prosecution decisions for those offenses to special trial counsel. Those changes took effect after these 2022 trials.

Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal. An acquittal rate for Article 120 would count too few acquittals, so this page does not give one. That is a significant gap for an offense that is contested this often. The records also do not include offense dates, the evidence, or plea terms. Allegations handled through administrative separation, nonjudicial punishment, or no action do not appear.

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.

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.