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# Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2019/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:11:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:11.000Z
- Description: Air Force courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2019 produced a median confinement of 8 years across 20 cases, compared with 4 months for all Air Force cases that year. 11 of the 20 convictions (55%) were sentenced to 5 years or more.
- 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, 2019

**Short answer:** Air Force courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2019 produced a median confinement of 8 years across 20 cases, compared with 4 months for all Air Force cases that year. 11 of the 20 convictions (55%) were sentenced to 5 years or more. 94% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 57%.

Based on 20 cases · 2019 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## 55% Were Sentenced to 5 Years or More

11 of 20 convictions (55%) were sentenced to 5 years or more of confinement. Across all Air Force cases in 2019, 8% were. 5 more (25%) were sentenced to more than 1 year but under 5 years.

16 of 20 convictions (80%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 20% Air Force-wide. 1 was sentenced to 6 months to 1 year and 0 to under 6 months. 3 (15%) had no confinement, the same share as across the Air Force.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in 2019 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 3           | 15%        | 15%                                |
| Under 6 months                  | 0           | 0%         | 50%                                |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 1           | 5%         | 15%                                |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5           | 25%        | 12%                                |
| 5 years or more                 | 11          | 55%        | 8%                                 |

## An 8-Year Median

17 of the 20 sentences included confinement (85%). The median term was 8 years, and a quarter of the terms were 14 years or longer. For all Air Force cases in 2019, the median was 4 months.

The sentences shown are the ones adjudged at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal may have reduced some of them. Each covers all charges in the case.

## A Large Change From 2018

In 2018, the median for this offense was 2.7 years across 34 cases. In 2019, it was 8 years across 20 cases. Convictions with confinement were 94% in 2018 and 85% in 2019\. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 97% and 94%.

Both years had 100% general courts-martial. With 20 cases, a small number of very long sentences can move the median a great deal, and the records do not show why it changed.

|                               | 2018      | 2019    |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | ------- |
| Cases                         | 34        | 20      |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | —       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 94%       | 85%     |
| Median confinement            | 2.7 years | 8 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 97%       | 94%     |
| General courts-martial        | 100%      | 100%    |

## Punitive Discharges and Dismissals

17 of 18 convicted enlisted members (94%) received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, and 16 of those were dishonorable. Across all Air Force cases in 2019, the rate was 57%. Both convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation.

## Who Decided Guilt

A military judge alone decided 12 of the cases with the forum listed. Officer panels decided 5 and enlisted panels decided 2\. Members heard 37% of the cases, compared with 42% across all Air Force cases in 2019.

Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the records cannot show how many of these cases were contested.

## Rank and Other Charges

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 60% of the accused, NCOs 30%, and officers 10%. Across all Air Force cases in 2019, junior enlisted members were 68%.

13 of the 20 cases charged Article 120b alone. Article 134 (general article) was added in 7 and Article 92 (orders violation) in 2\. Article 120 (sexual assault), Article 111 (drunken or reckless driving before 2019; leaving the scene of an accident since), and Article 112a (drug) were each added in 1.

## Where the Trials Were Held

Cannon AFB, New Mexico, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and Hurlburt Field, Florida, each tried 2 cases, and Schriever SFB, Colorado, tried 1\. These five account for 45% of the 20 cases. Counts this small do not set any one base apart.

## Limits

The records give no offense dates, no description of the evidence, and no plea agreement terms. Air Force records rarely list the charges in a full acquittal, so this page gives no acquittal rate. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation 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 2019 that charged Article 120b (20 cases), compared with all Air Force cases that year and with 2018.

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 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2018/) (previous / next)
- [Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2020/) (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, 2017: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2017/)
- [How Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2016/)
- [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 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2018/)Next: [Child Sexual Abuse at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-2020/) →

**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.