What Sentence Follows an Air Force Indecent Recording and Exposure Conviction?

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Based on 56 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Confinement Measured in Years

This page covers only Air Force courts-martial that ended in a conviction under Article 120c, the article on indecent viewing, recording, broadcasting, and exposure. Its median confinement is longer than that of Air Force convictions as a whole.

Of the 56 convictions, 51 included confinement (91%). The median term was 1.6 years, and a quarter of the terms were 5.1 years or longer. Terms of 5 years or more made up 25% of convictions (14 cases), compared with 7% across Air Force convictions. Terms under 6 months made up 12%, compared with 48%.

Dishonorable Discharges Were More Common

A punitive discharge followed 79% of enlisted convictions: 24 dishonorable discharges and 18 bad-conduct discharges. Across all Air Force convictions, 56% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. Here, the more severe dishonorable discharge was the more common of the 2.

All 3 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Sentences Cover More Than One Offense

Article 120c was the only charge in 21 of the 56 cases. The other cases included more charges. The most common were Article 120 sexual assault (16 cases) and Article 134, the general article (16). Article 120b child sexual abuse appeared in 6. Article 92 orders violations and Article 131b obstruction of justice (numbered since 2019) appeared in 5 each.

A sentence covers every charge in a case. The long terms on this page therefore reflect those other charges as well as Article 120c itself. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial made up 80% of these cases (45 of 56). At that level, 98% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 years. At the 11 special courts-martial, 64% did, with a median of 6 months.

A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. Only that level can adjudge the multi-year terms seen here.

Contested Somewhat More Often

Only 31 of the 56 records list a plea, because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely note a guilty plea. Of those 31, 11 were contested and 20 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 35%, compared with 31% across Air Force convictions. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.

A partial acquittal is a finding of not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another. 4 of the 11 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal (36%).

Members heard 27% of cases with a forum listed: 7 enlisted panels and 8 officer panels. A military judge alone decided the other 40. Among contested cases, members heard 7 of 11 (64%). The accused usually chooses the forum.

A More Senior Group

By rank, the convicted were 32 junior enlisted members, 21 NCOs, and 3 officers. That group is more senior than Air Force convictions as a whole. Junior enlisted members are still the largest group, and NCOs are the second largest.

Cases by Year and Installation

The yearly count was no more than 8 in any year: 3 in 2016, 7 in 2017, 7 in 2018, 6 in 2019, 3 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 8 in 2022, 6 in 2023, 3 in 2024, and 7 in 2025.

Kadena AB, Japan had the most cases, with 4. Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina and JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey had 3 each. Nellis AFB, Nevada and Misawa AB, Japan had 2 each. Together these account for 25% of the cases.

Rule Changes in These Years

Article 120c is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect January 1, 2019. New sentencing parameters apply to offenses after December 27, 2023. All of these rules turn on the offense date, which the records do not give.

No Acquittal Rate, and Other Gaps

Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in full acquittal. An acquittal rate for a single offense would therefore undercount, and this page leaves it out. The records also do not describe the evidence, never report plea agreements, and exclude any matter handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

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

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.