How Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Cases Ended in 2024
In 2024, 18 Army courts-martial charged Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving). A punitive discharge followed only 29% of enlisted convictions, compared with 72% for all Army cases that year. Among sentences with confinement, the median was 45 days, against 6 months Army-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 113 › Army, 2024
Short answer: In 2024, 18 Army courts-martial charged Article 113 (drunken or reckless driving). A punitive discharge followed only 29% of enlisted convictions, compared with 72% for all Army cases that year. Among sentences with confinement, the median was 45 days, against 6 months Army-wide.
Most Convictions Did Not End in a Punitive Discharge
A punitive discharge followed 29% of enlisted convictions: 5 bad-conduct discharges and 0 dishonorable discharges. Across all Army cases in 2024, the share was 72%. In 2023, the share for Article 113 cases was 38%.
For enlisted members, a punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not show.
Confinement Terms Were Short
Confinement was part of 71% of the 17 convictions. Half of those terms were 45 days or less, while the median for all Army cases in 2024 was 6 months. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 8 months or longer.
In 2023, every Article 113 conviction included confinement, and the median was 25 days. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Changes From 2023
Cases went from 22 in 2023 to 18 in 2024. The contested share moved from 18% to 11%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 0 of 4 to 1 of 2.
A few cases either way can move figures in groups this small. The changes show direction, not precision.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 22 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 18% | 11% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 4 | 1 of 2 |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 71% |
| Median confinement | 25 days | 45 days |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 38% | 29% |
| General courts-martial | 69% | 5 of 8 |
Guilty Pleas and Agreements
16 accused pleaded guilty and 2 contested at least one charge. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The 11% contested share was lower than the 27% for all Army cases in 2024.
All 16 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
Article 113 Alone in 9 Cases
Article 113 was the only charge in 9 of the 18 cases. The other cases paired it with Article 128 (assault) in 4, Article 92 (orders violation) and Article 134 (general article) in 3 each, and Article 112a (drug) and Article 115 (communicating threats) in 2 each.
Forum, Rank, and Court Level
A military judge alone decided guilt in 16 of the 18 cases (89%). Members heard 2, both enlisted panels. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 56% of the accused and NCOs 44%. No officer was charged. Across all Army cases in 2024, junior enlisted members were 53%.
5 cases were general courts-martial and 3 were special courts-martial. The rest do not list the court level. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Rules That Changed at the End of 2023
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both depend on the offense date, so trials from 2024 on mix cases under the old and new rules.
Limits of This Data
The records cover cases that reached a courtroom. They give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not describe the evidence, the plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 113 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 113 (18 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2023.
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
- Article 113 (Misbehavior of a Sentinel Before 2019, Drunken or Reckless Driving Since): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Drunken Or Reckless Driving at Army Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Is Army Drunken Or Reckless Driving Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 113, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- AWOL at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2021
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2023
- Army Article 115 Cases in 2022
- Article 113 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- Article 113 explained on the law firm's website
- 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.