What the Air Force Tried in August 2016

Trends › By Year › August 2016

Based on 22 cases · August 2016 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

Full Acquittals Were More Common Than in 2016 Overall

In 8 of the 22 cases tried in August 2016, the accused was acquitted of all charges. That is 36% of cases, higher than the 18% for the Air Force over all of 2016.

This rate is measured against all cases, not only contested ones. From 2016 to 2019, Air Force records rarely note when an accused pleaded guilty. The number of contested cases in this month therefore cannot be counted, and this figure cannot be compared directly with acquittal rates for contested cases.

Members Decided 50% of Cases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In August 2016, a military judge alone decided 11 cases, officer panels 7, and enlisted panels 4.

Members heard 50% of the month's cases, slightly higher than the 45% for the year. An officer panel has only officers. An enlisted accused can ask for enlisted members to serve on the panel. The plea is rarely recorded for this period, so the forum split cannot be compared with the number of contested cases.

Larceny and Child Offenses Were Charged More Often

Charges are listed for 14 of the 22 cases, and an article counts once per case. Drug offenses under Article 112a were the most common charge, in 5 cases. That 36% share was lower than the 46% for the year.

Larceny under Article 121 appeared in 4 cases (29%), compared with 12% for 2016. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 3 cases (21%), compared with 11%. The general article, Article 134, appeared in 1 case (7%), compared with 27% for the year. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, appeared in 2 cases (14%), about the same as the annual 16%.

Article 110 (improper hazarding of vessel or aircraft), Article 111 (drunken or reckless driving), and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 1 case. Air Force records rarely list charges for cases that end in a full acquittal. These shares therefore mostly describe the 14 cases with a conviction.

Confinement Followed 13 of 14 Convictions

Of 14 convictions, 13 included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as the 4 months for the Air Force in 2016. A quarter of the terms were 1 year or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in its case.

General and Special Courts-Martial in Equal Numbers

The month had 11 general and 11 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 50%, compared with 47% for the year.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 1 year at the general courts-martial and 2 months at the special courts-martial.

Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Year

Of 13 convicted enlisted members, 5 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (38%). The rate across the Air Force in 2016 was 54%. Of those 5 discharges, 2 were dishonorable. Either court level can impose a bad-conduct discharge, but only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge.

The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank and Location

The accused were 13 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 6 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. For the year, junior enlisted members were 65% of the accused, so August 2016 had a more senior group of accused. Of the 3 officers or warrant officers tried, the records show 1 convicted.

No base tried more than 2 cases. Kadena AB, Japan, and Yokota AB, Japan, tried 2 each. Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, Tyndall AFB, Florida, and Columbus AFB, Mississippi, tried 1 each. Together those 5 bases account for 32% of the month's cases.

Before the Military Justice Act Took Effect

The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial, and introduced written plea agreements. Every trial in this month took place under the earlier rules.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and cover only cases that reached a courtroom. They do not show nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, or plea terms. Air Force records do not report plea agreements.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: 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.