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# Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2017: The Year in Numbers
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2017/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:11:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:11.000Z
- Description: In 2017, 24 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 120b (child sexual abuse). The median confinement was 4 years, compared with 1.5 years for the same offense in 2016 and 4 months for all Air Force cases in 2017.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 120b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) › Air Force, 2017

**Short answer:** In 2017, 24 Air Force courts-martial charged Article 120b (child sexual abuse). The median confinement was 4 years, compared with 1.5 years for the same offense in 2016 and 4 months for all Air Force cases in 2017\. Every convicted enlisted member received a punitive discharge (100%, compared with 51% Air Force-wide).

Based on 24 cases · 2017 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## 5 Years or More Was the Most Common Sentence

10 of the 24 convictions (42%) were sentenced to 5 years or more of confinement. Across all Air Force cases in 2017, 8% were. 9 more (38%) were sentenced to more than 1 year but under 5 years.

In total, 19 of 24 convictions (79%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 23% Air Force-wide. 4 (17%) were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year. 0 were under 6 months, the most common band for the Air Force at 46%, and 1 conviction had no confinement.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2017 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 1           | 4%         | 21%                                |
| Under 6 months                  | 0           | 0%         | 46%                                |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 4           | 17%        | 11%                                |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9           | 38%        | 14%                                |
| 5 years or more                 | 10          | 42%        | 8%                                 |

## The Median Was Higher Than in 2016

23 of the 24 sentences included confinement (96%). The median was 4 years, and a quarter were 8 years or longer. In 2016, the median for this offense was 1.5 years. For all Air Force cases in 2017, it was 4 months.

These are adjudged sentences, the terms set at trial. They come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each one covers all of the charges in a case.

## Year Over Year

The count was about the same: 23 cases in 2016 and 24 in 2017\. Convictions with confinement were 100% and 96%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 100% in both years. General courts-martial were 87% in 2016 and 100% in 2017.

In groups this size, a few long or short sentences can change the median a great deal. The records do not explain the change.

|                               | 2016      | 2017    |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | ------- |
| Cases                         | 23        | 24      |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | —       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 100%      | 96%     |
| Median confinement            | 1.5 years | 4 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 100%      | 100%    |
| General courts-martial        | 87%       | 100%    |

## Discharges

All convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 17 dishonorable and 6 bad-conduct. The Air Force-wide rate in 2017 was 51%. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed.

Every case was a general court-martial in 2017\. That is the only level that can impose a dishonorable discharge or confinement beyond one year.

## Military Judges Decided Most Cases

A military judge alone decided guilt in 14 of the 24 cases (58%). Members decided 10: 6 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. Because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, the contested share for 2017 cannot be measured.

## The Accused and Their Other Charges

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 58% of the accused, NCOs 38%, and officers 4%. Across all Air Force cases in 2017, junior enlisted members were 61%.

10 of the 24 cases charged at least one other article. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 6 and Article 125 (sodomy) in 2\. Article 120 (sexual assault), Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure), and Article 112a (drug) were each charged in 1.

## Installations

Eglin AFB, Florida, Keesler AFB, Mississippi, JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, each tried 2 cases. MacDill AFB, Florida, tried 1\. Together these five account for 38% of the 24 cases, and larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## What the Records Leave Out

These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Its fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements did not apply.

The records give trial dates rather than offense dates. Air Force records rarely list the charges in a full acquittal, so no acquittal rate is reported. Plea agreements, the evidence, and allegations handled outside a court-martial are not included.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 120b on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2017 that charged Article 120b (24 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2016.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2016/) (previous / next)
- [How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2018/) (previous / next)
- [How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-trend-2016-2025/) (the full trend)
- [Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2019/)
- [Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2020/)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Air Force?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-sent-2016-2025/)
- [Article 120b explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2016/)Next: [How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2018/) →

**Compare: federal court.** [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-vs-air-force/)

**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.