How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2018

Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › Air Force, 2018

Based on 34 cases · 2018 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Almost Every Enlisted Conviction Included a Punitive Discharge

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge imposed by the court-martial as part of the sentence. In these 2018 cases, 97% of enlisted convictions included one: 28 dishonorable discharges and 5 bad-conduct discharges. Across the Air Force that year, the rate was 58%.

There were 0 officers or warrant officers among the accused, so every conviction here was of an enlisted member. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. In this group, almost every sentence included a punitive discharge.

Confinement Was Measured in Years

32 of 34 convictions included confinement (94%). The median confinement was 2.7 years, and a quarter of the sentences were 5.5 years or longer. For all Air Force cases in 2018, the median was 4 months.

These are adjudged sentences: the punishment announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.

How Long Were the Sentences?

24 of 34 convictions (71%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 20% for all Air Force cases. 14 convictions (41%) were sentenced to between 1 and 5 years. 10 (29%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 8% Air Force-wide.

Only 2 convictions (6%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 48% across the Air Force. 2 (6%) had no confinement, compared with 18%. 6 (18%) were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year.

Every Case Was a General Court-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. In both 2017 and 2018, 100% of these child sexual abuse cases were general courts-martial. A general court-martial is the only level that can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

All of the long sentences and dishonorable discharges on this page were therefore adjudged by general courts-martial, which have no one-year limit on confinement.

The Median Was Shorter Than in 2017

There were 24 cases in 2017 and 34 in 2018. The median confinement was 4 years in 2017 and 2.7 years in 2018. Convictions with confinement were 96% in 2017 and 94% in 2018. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 100% in 2017 and 97% in 2018.

In groups this small, a few cases can change these figures. A lower median means the middle sentence was shorter. It does not mean any rule changed, and the records cannot show why the median changed.

Who Decided Guilt

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In 2018, a military judge alone heard 24 of these cases. Members heard the other 29% with the forum listed. All 10 panels were officer panels, and there were 0 enlisted panels. An enlisted accused can ask for a panel that includes enlisted members, and none of these cases had one.

Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the contested share for 2018 is not available.

Rank of the Accused, Other Charges, and Bases

22 of the accused were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 12 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). This mix is similar to all Air Force cases in 2018, where 63% were junior enlisted.

In 19 of the 34 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 134 (general article) was the most common other charge, in 16 cases. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 5, and Article 125 (sodomy) and Article 92 (orders violation) in 1 each. Each adjudged sentence covers every charge. The sentences in those cases therefore include the other offenses as well as the child sexual abuse charge, and the records cannot separate them.

Kadena AB, Japan, and Scott AFB, Illinois, each tried 4 cases, and Eglin AFB, Florida, tried 3. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and Hurlburt Field, Florida, each tried 2. Together they account for 44% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Before 2019, and What the Records Do Not Show

All of these trials were held before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Its changes to panels, judge-alone special courts-martial, and plea agreements did not apply.

Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal, so this page reports no acquittal rate. The records also give no offense dates, no description of the evidence, and no plea terms. Allegations handled through administrative action or never charged do not appear.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120b on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: 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.