What Sentence Follows an Air Force Article 87b Conviction?
11 Air Force courts-martial from 2016–2025 ended in a conviction under Article 87b (offenses against correctional custody, numbered since 2019). All 11 sentences included confinement, with a median of 4 months, the same as for all Air Force convictions in those years.
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Short answer: 11 Air Force courts-martial from 2016–2025 ended in a conviction under Article 87b (offenses against correctional custody, numbered since 2019). All 11 sentences included confinement, with a median of 4 months, the same as for all Air Force convictions in those years. 73% of the convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 56% Air Force-wide.
Every Accused Was Junior Enlisted
All 11 accused were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4). No NCOs (E-5 to E-9), officers, or warrant officers appear. Across all Air Force convictions from 2016 to 2025, junior enlisted members made up 66%.
4 of the 11 cases were general courts-martial (36%), compared with 46% across Air Force convictions. The rest were special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Punitive Discharges
73% of the convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. That was higher than the 56% for all Air Force convictions in those years.
Without a punitive discharge, a member can still face an administrative separation after the court-martial. Those separations are outside these records.
Confinement Terms
Confinement was part of 100% of the 11 sentences. The median was 4 months, equal to the Air Force median for those years. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.
The figures are adjudged sentences: what was announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
AWOL and Drug Charges in the Same Cases
Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 8 of the 11 cases, and Article 112a (drug) in 7. Article 113 (misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019; drunken or reckless driving since), Article 121 (larceny), and Article 107 (false official statement) each appeared in 2.
Because these other charges are part of the same sentence, the records cannot show how much of a sentence relates to Article 87b alone.
Pleas and the Forum
10 of the 11 records list the plea. 8 accused pleaded guilty and 2 contested at least one charge. That is 20% contested, lower than the 31% for all Air Force convictions in those years.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 9 of the 11 cases (82%). Enlisted panels decided the other 2. No officer panels appear.
When the Cases Were Tried
The records show no convictions under this article from 2016 through 2019. The 11 cases were tried from January 2020 through May 2025: 2 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 4 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 1 in 2025.
Law Changes and Record Limits
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, and created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge. Since December 28, 2023, other prosecution and sentencing changes apply based on the offense date. The records give trial dates only, so trials from 2024 on mix old-rule and new-rule cases.
The records do not cover nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or cases with no action. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Air Force records never report plea agreements and rarely list the charges in a full acquittal, so this page gives no acquittal figures for this offense.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial tried 2016–2025: ending in a conviction under Article 87b (offenses against correctional custody) (11 cases), compared with all Air Force convictions in those years.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 87b (Offenses Against Correctional Custody, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Sentences (hub)
- Is Air Force Article 87b Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 87b, 2016–2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 87b Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps? (another service)
- Article 118 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025
- Article 128b Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025
- Article 80 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025
- Article 86 Sentences in the Air Force: Confinement and Discharges, 2016–2025
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.