What the Air Force Tried in April 2017
Air Force records list 31 courts-martial tried in April 2017. The median confinement that month was 10 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force across 2017. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 59% of cases with a charge list, compared with 52% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: Air Force records list 31 courts-martial tried in April 2017. The median confinement that month was 10 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force across 2017. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 59% of cases with a charge list, compared with 52% for the year.
Longer Sentences Than the Year Overall
The 22 convictions from April 2017 had longer confinement than the Air Force as a whole. Of those convictions, 73% included confinement. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in 2017. A quarter of the sentences were 7 years or longer.
Every figure here is an adjudged sentence: the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. It covers every charge in the case, not a single offense.
Confinement by Length
Sentences over one year came in 8 of the 22 convictions (36%), compared with 23% across 2017. Sentences of 5 years or more came in 4 convictions (18%), compared with 8% for the year. Sentences of 1 year up to 5 years also came in 4 (18%), compared with 14%.
There were also shorter sentences. No confinement was imposed in 6 convictions (27%), compared with 21% for the year. Sentences under 6 months made up 32%, lower than the 46% for the year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 27% | 21% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 32% | 46% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 11% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 18% | 14% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 18% | 8% |
Most Were General Courts-Martial
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.
In April 2017, 20 of the 31 cases were general courts-martial. That is a 65% share, compared with 45% for the full year. The median confinement at general courts-martial was 3.5 years. The 11 special courts-martial had a median of 3 months.
Drug Cases and a Murder Charge
Charge lists are available for 22 of the 31 cases, and one case can appear under several articles. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) was the most common, with 13 cases. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) and Article 134 (the general article) each appeared in 4.
As shares, Article 112a appeared in 59% of charged cases, compared with 52% for the year. Article 92 appeared in 18%, about the same as the 17% for the year. Article 134 appeared in 18%, slightly lower than the 21% for the year. The 1 murder case is 5% of the charged cases, compared with 1% across 2017.
Several other charges appeared once each: Article 80 (attempts), Article 118 (murder), Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), Article 120c (other sexual misconduct), and Article 128 (assault). Air Force records rarely list the charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal, so these shares mostly reflect convictions.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 59% | 52% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 18% | 17% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 18% | 21% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 1 | 5% | 1% |
| Art. 118 Murder | 1 | 5% | 1% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 1 | 5% | 2% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 5% | 7% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 5% | 11% |
Full Acquittals Measured Against All Cases
In 9 of the 31 cases, the accused was acquitted of all charges. That is a 29% rate, compared with 21% for the Air Force in 2017.
The rate uses all cases as its base, not only contested cases. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely show when an accused pleaded guilty, so a contested share cannot be calculated for this month. This acquittal rate cannot be compared with contested-case rates elsewhere on this site.
More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges
Of 20 convicted enlisted members, 11 received a punitive discharge: 7 dishonorable and 4 bad-conduct. For the Air Force in 2017, the punitive discharge share was 51%.
There were also 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 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.
Who Decided Guilt
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In April 2017, members decided 42% of the cases with the forum listed: 9 officer panels and 4 enlisted panels. A military judge alone tried the other 18 cases.
An officer panel is made up entirely of officers. An enlisted accused can ask for enlisted members to sit on the panel. This month had 9 officer panels and 4 enlisted panels.
Rank and Installations
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 55% of the accused, NCOs 32%, and officers 13%. For the year, junior enlisted members made up 61%, so the accused this month were slightly more senior.
JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, tried 4 cases. Hurlburt Field, Florida, Travis AFB, California, Schriever SFB, Colorado, and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, each tried 2. Together these installations account for 39% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Before the 2019 Changes
These trials came before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. That law brought fixed panel sizes, judge-alone special courts-martial, and written plea agreements. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in April 2017 (31 cases), compared with the whole year.
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
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- March 2017 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 38 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in May 2017 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review (the whole year)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review
- 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.