Article 112a With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show

Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Army, with Article 80

Based on 13 cases · 2021–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Sentences Than the Article 112a Median

Of 13 convictions, 13 carried confinement. The median confinement was 1.2 years, longer than the 5 months for all Army Article 112a cases in 2021–2026. A quarter of these sentences were 3.5 years or longer.

The numbers are adjudged sentences. They are the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

12 of 13 Received a Punitive Discharge

12 of the 13 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 7 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. In Army Article 112a cases overall, the share was 81%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Military Judges Decided Every Case

All 13 cases were decided by a military judge alone. No panel of members appears. Across all Army Article 112a cases in 2021–2026, members heard 8%.

Pleas

10 of the accused pleaded guilty, and 3 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 23%, compared with 14% in all Army Article 112a cases.

9 of the 10 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 1 has no entry. Army records state whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Court Level

7 of the 13 cases were general courts-martial (54%), compared with 53% in Army Article 112a cases overall. The other cases were special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Rank of the Accused

10 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), and 3 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officers or warrant officers appear. In Army Article 112a cases overall, 73% were junior enlisted, so this group was more junior.

Companion Charges and Trial Years

Besides Article 80, the charges seen most often were Article 134, the general article, and Article 128, assault, in 4 cases each. Article 92, orders violation, and Article 81, conspiracy, each appeared in 3.

The trials ran from May 2021 through October 2026: 5 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 2 in 2024, 0 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year.

Limits

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters, with the military judge setting the sentence, apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show whether these changes applied to the trials from 2024 on. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial · Drug Distribution: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial

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.