> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Pleading Guilty to Article 87a in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-87a-plea-2016-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:05:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:05:18.000Z - Description: Punitive discharges were uncommon in the 12 Air Force cases from 2016–2025 where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 87a (resisting apprehension, numbered since 2019): 10% of enlisted convictions, compared with 60% for all Air Force guilty pleas in those years. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 87a, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 87a](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-87a-courts-martial/) › Pleading Guilty to Article 87a in the Ai **Short answer:** Punitive discharges were uncommon in the 12 Air Force cases from 2016–2025 where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 87a (resisting apprehension, numbered since 2019): 10% of enlisted convictions, compared with 60% for all Air Force guilty pleas in those years. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as for all Air Force guilty pleas. Based on 12 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Few Punitive Discharges A punitive discharge followed 10% of enlisted convictions in this group: 1 bad-conduct discharge and 0 dishonorable discharges. For all Air Force guilty pleas in those years, the rate was 60%. 2 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in these cases, and 1 was dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Confinement Was Common but Short All 12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 11 of the sentences included confinement (92%). The median confinement was 4 months. That is the same as the 4-month median for all Air Force guilty pleas in those years. Among the sentences with confinement, a quarter were 6 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case. ## Mostly Special Courts-Martial 2 of the 12 cases were general courts-martial (17%). The share for all Air Force guilty pleas in those years was 43%. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Article 113 Was the Most Common Companion Article 113 (misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019; drunken or reckless driving since) appeared in 7 cases. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 5 and Article 112a (drug) in 4\. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) and Article 92 (orders violation) each appeared in 3. ## Who Was Charged By rank, 8 of the accused were junior enlisted, 2 were NCOs, and 2 were officers. The rank mix was similar to all Air Force guilty pleas in those years. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided guilt in 12 of 12 cases with the forum listed. ## When the Trials Happened The 12 trials ran from September 2020 to September 2025\. There were 2 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 2 in 2025\. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, and no cases appear from those years. ## Law Changes Since January 1, 2019, courts-martial have run under the Military Justice Act of 2016 for offenses from that date on. Its changes include written plea agreements, panels of a fixed size, and a judge-alone special court-martial that caps confinement at six months and bars a punitive discharge. Starting December 28, 2023, covered offenses are referred for prosecution by special trial counsel instead of commanders; sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder are examples. If all guilty findings involve offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sentences within new parameters. These records carry trial dates but not offense dates, which leaves the rules for each 2024 or 2025 trial unknown. ## Limits of These Records The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence or plea agreements, which Air Force records never report. Conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not included. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial tried 2016–2025: where the accused pleaded guilty to charges including Article 87a (resisting apprehension) (12 cases), compared with all Air Force guilty pleas in those years. 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 87a (Resisting Apprehension, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-87a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/sentences/) (hub) - [How Has Article 87a Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-87a-trend-2016-2025/) - [What Sentence Follows an Air Force Resisting Apprehension Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-87a-sent-2016-2025/) - [When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Resisting Apprehension](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-87a-plea-2021-2025/) (another service) - [Pleading Guilty to Article 87a in the Navy-Marine Corps: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-87a-plea-2017-2025/) (another service) - [Guilty Pleas in Air Force Child Sexual Abuse Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-120b-plea-2016-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **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.