Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Army

Based on 214 cases · 2021–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

A Smaller Share of Army Cases Each Year

Drug cases were a smaller share of Army courts-martial each year after 2022. Article 112a was part of 12% of Army convictions with offenses listed in 2021 and 13% in 2022, then 9% in 2023, 8% in 2024, and 3% in 2025.

The number of cases also fell. Cases charging the article numbered 63 in 2021, 62 in 2022, 39 in 2023, 37 in 2024, and 13 in 2025. In all, they were 9% of the 2,422 Army courts-martial in those years. Shares are measured against convictions with offenses listed, so years with more or fewer cases overall can be compared. The records cannot show why the share fell.

Convictions by Year

Counting convictions that included Article 112a, the yearly figures were 58 in 2021, 57 in 2022, 36 in 2023, 34 in 2024, and 13 in 2025.

Guilty Pleas, Usually With an Agreement

Of the 214 cases, 183 ended in guilty pleas and 31 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share, 14%, is lower than the 30% across all Army cases in those years.

Of the 183 guilty pleas, 171 are recorded with a plea agreement and 12 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said.

Full Acquittals by Panels and by Judges

Of 31 contested cases that reached a verdict, 11 ended in a full acquittal and 16 in a partial acquittal. That 35% full-acquittal rate is about the same as the 38% across the rest of the Army. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Of contested cases decided by members, 53% ended in a full acquittal (9 of 17). Of those decided by a judge alone, 8% did (1 of 13). Members heard 17 of 30 contested cases (57%). They heard only 8% of all cases with the forum listed: 11 enlisted panels and 6 officer panels. A judge alone tried 196 cases. The accused usually chooses the forum, so the cases each one heard are different.

Sentences Were Shorter Than Average

Of 203 convictions on at least one charge, 182 included confinement (90%). The median was 5 months, shorter than the 6-month Army median. A quarter of sentences were 11 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Terms under 6 months made up 47% of convictions, compared with 39% Army-wide. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 27%, compared with 16%. Longer terms were less common. Terms over one year were given in 32 of 203 convictions (16%), compared with 28% Army-wide. Terms of 5 years or more made up 3%, compared with 8%.

Punitive Discharges Were More Common

A punitive discharge was adjudged in 82% of enlisted drug convictions (133 bad-conduct, 22 dishonorable), higher than the 73% across all Army cases. Among 13 convicted officers or warrant officers, 7 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

Confinement terms were shorter than the Army median, but a conviction more often included a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

More Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial made up 112 of the 211 cases with a court level listed (53%), compared with 73% in the rest of the Army. Special courts-martial made up 99. The court level is not listed for 3 cases. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 7 months, and 19% were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 4 months, and 10% were contested.

A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The accused were also more junior than the Army as a whole: 156 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 43 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 15 officers or warrant officers, compared with an Army-wide junior enlisted share of 55%.

Other Charges and Installations

Article 112a was the only charge in 63 of 214 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) was the most common other charge, in 59 cases, followed by Article 128 (assault) and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 32 each, and Article 134 (general article) and Article 81 (conspiracy) in 28 each.

Fort Bliss (28), Fort Hood (18), Fort Bragg (17), Fort Carson (16), and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (16) tried the most of these cases. Together they tried 44% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not show much about any one base.

Law Changes and the Limits of the Data

When every guilty finding in a case involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. That rule depends on the offense date, which these records do not give. Trials from 2024 on include old-rule and new-rule cases. The records cannot show whether the rule affected the figures above.

The records also do not describe the evidence or 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.