Army Cases Charging Both Article 120 and Article 120c

Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Army, with Article 120c

Based on 19 cases · 2021–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

50% of Contested Verdicts Were Full Acquittals

14 of the 19 accused entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, and 5 pleaded guilty. Contested cases were 74% of those with a plea recorded, compared with 71% across Army Article 120 cases overall.

Of the 14 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. 6 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate of 50% was higher than the 45% in all Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2026. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army records.

Long Sentences After Conviction

12 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and all 12 sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 2.4 years, longer than the 1.8 years in all Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2026. A quarter of the sentences were 13.7 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.

These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Dishonorable Discharges

8 of 10 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 7 dishonorable and 1 bad-conduct. In Army Article 120 cases overall, the share was 82%.

2 convicted officers or warrant officers appear, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Who Decided Guilt?

33% of the cases with the forum listed went to members: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 12. Among contested cases, members heard 6 of 13 (46%).

The accused usually chooses the forum, so cases decided by members and cases decided by a judge alone are not alike.

Rank and Court Level

8 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 9 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. In Army-wide Article 120 cases, 57% were junior enlisted, so this group was more senior.

17 of the 19 cases were general courts-martial (89%), compared with 96% in all Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2026. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Other Charges

Article 128, assault, appeared in 8 of the 19 cases. Article 92, orders violation, and Article 134, the general article, each appeared in 5. Article 112a, drug offenses, appeared in 2.

Trial Years

Trials ran from April 2021 to April 2026: 3 in 2021, 5 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 5 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year.

What This Leaves Out

Sexual assault is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it, and new sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so the trials from 2024 on mix old-rule and new-rule cases. The evidence, the plea terms, and conduct handled outside a court-martial are not in these records.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: 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.