What the Air Force Tried in December 2017
The Air Force tried 31 courts-martial in December 2017. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 69% of cases with a charge list, compared with 52% for the Air Force across 2017. Punitive discharges followed 48% of enlisted convictions, about the same as the 51% for the year.
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Trends › By Year › December 2017
Short answer: The Air Force tried 31 courts-martial in December 2017. Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 69% of cases with a charge list, compared with 52% for the Air Force across 2017. Punitive discharges followed 48% of enlisted convictions, about the same as the 51% for the year.
Drug Charges in Most Cases
Charges are listed for 26 of the 31 cases, and each article is counted once per case. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, appeared in 18 of them. That is 69% of cases, compared with 52% for the year.
Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, was the next most common charge, in 5 cases (19%), compared with 17%. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 4 cases (15%), lower than its annual 21%. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 2 cases (8%), compared with 11%. Article 86 (AWOL), Article 107 (false official statements), Article 118 (murder), and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) each appeared in 1 case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 18 | 69% | 52% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 5 | 19% | 17% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 15% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 8% | 11% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 4% | 8% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 4% | 4% |
| Art. 118 Murder | 1 | 4% | 1% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 4% | 3% |
Median Confinement the Same as the Year
There were 26 convictions, and 18 of them (69%) included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as for the Air Force in 2017. A quarter of the terms were 11 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
Convictions with no confinement were 31% of the month, compared with 21% for the year. Terms longer than one year were less common: 4 of 26 convictions (15%), compared with 23%.
Terms from 1 year to under 5 years came in 2 convictions (8%), compared with 14% for the year. Terms of 5 years or more also came in 2 convictions (8%), the same as the annual 8%. Terms under 6 months were 42%, compared with 46%. Terms from 6 months to 1 year were 12%, compared with 11%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 8 | 31% | 21% |
| Under 6 months | 11 | 42% | 46% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 12% | 11% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 8% | 14% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 8% | 8% |
Sentences at Each Court Level
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Of the 31 cases, 14 were general courts-martial (45%) and 17 were special courts-martial.
At general courts-martial, 90% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 11 months. At special courts-martial, 56% did, with a median of 3 months.
Punitive Discharges at About the Annual Rate
A punitive discharge followed 48% of enlisted convictions: 7 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The annual rate was 51%.
The month also had 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 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.
Members Decided More Cases Than the Year
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. In December 2017, officer panels decided 11 cases, enlisted panels 6, and a military judge alone 14. Members heard 55% of cases, compared with 42% for the year.
Air Force data from this period rarely records guilty pleas. The forum split therefore cannot be compared with the number of contested cases.
Full Acquittals
Of the 31 cases, 5 ended in a full acquittal (16%), compared with 21% for the Air Force in 2017. This rate is measured against all cases, not only contested ones, because Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea.
The same records rarely list charges for a case that ends in a full acquittal. The charge shares above therefore mostly describe cases with a conviction.
Compared With December 2016
December 2016 had 21 cases, and December 2017 had 31. The median confinement went from 2 months to 4 months. Convictions with confinement went from 61% to 69%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 22% to 48%, and the general court-martial share went from 24% to 45%.
Monthly groups this small can change by a large amount with a few cases. These comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| December 2016 | December 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 21 | 31 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | — |
| Convictions with confinement | 61% | 69% |
| Median confinement | 2 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 22% | 48% |
| General courts-martial | 24% | 45% |
Rank and Bases
The accused were 23 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 5 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 3 officers or warrant officers. Across 2017, junior enlisted members were 61% of the accused, so this month had a more junior group.
Nellis AFB, Nevada, tried 4 cases. Dyess AFB, Texas, Vandenberg SFB, California, Peterson SFB, Colorado, and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, tried 2 each. Together they account for 39% of the month's cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind.
Older Rules and Missing Information
These trials took place 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, the plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in December 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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, November 2017: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, January 2018: The Month in Review (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.