Article 120 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025

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Based on 255 cases · 2021–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Sentences Than Across the Army

Sentences for Article 120 convictions were longer than the Army average. Of the 255 convictions, 242 included confinement. The median term was 2 years, and a quarter of terms were 4 years or longer. The records include 1 life sentence.

Terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years were given in 121 convictions (47%), compared with 20% across Army convictions. Terms of 5 years or more were given in 55 (22%), compared with 8%. Short terms were less common. Terms under 6 months were given in 29 convictions (11%), compared with 39% Army-wide. No confinement was given in 13 (5%).

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

More Dishonorable Discharges Than Bad-Conduct Discharges

A punitive discharge was adjudged in 92% of enlisted convictions, compared with 73% across Army convictions. The more severe type was more common: 166 dishonorable discharges, compared with 56 bad-conduct discharges.

All 15 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. Enlisted members sentenced without a punitive discharge can still face an administrative separation.

Most Cases Were Contested

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Here, 143 accused contested and 112 pleaded guilty, so 56% of cases were contested, compared with 21% across Army convictions.

This page counts only convictions, so every contested case here ended in a conviction on at least one charge. A contested case can also end in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which makes partial acquittals common in Army records.

Among the 112 guilty pleas, 105 are recorded with a plea agreement and 7 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it contained.

Nearly All General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial heard 244 of the 255 cases (96%), compared with 70% across Army convictions. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

At general courts-martial, 96% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2.1 years. At the 11 special courts-martial, 73% did, and the median was 5 months.

Members in Contested Cases

A military judge alone decided guilt in 176 cases (69%). Members heard 79: 63 enlisted panels and 16 officer panels. Among contested cases, members heard 79 of 143 (55%). A military judge alone decided the other contested cases. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.

Other Charges in the Same Case

Of the 255 cases, 141 included at least one other article. Article 128 (assault) was the most common, in 70 cases, followed by Article 134 (general article) in 33, Article 92 (orders violation) in 19, Article 107 (false official statement) in 17, and Article 128b (domestic violence) in 16. An assault charge tried with a sexual assault charge can describe part of the same incident, and the sentence covers both.

Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 61% of the accused, NCOs 33%, and officers 6%. Across Army convictions, junior enlisted were 57%.

Year and Installation Counts

The yearly count fell across the period: 79 in 2021, 65 in 2022, 49 in 2023, 37 in 2024, and 25 in 2025. The records do not show why. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.

Fort Hood had the most cases, with 36, followed by Fort Bragg (28), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (26), Fort Carson (17), and Fort Stewart (16). These 5 installations had 48% of the 255 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Rule Changes the Records Cannot Separate

Sexual assault is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both sets of rules. The records cannot show whether the changes affected these numbers.

The records also omit the evidence and plea terms, and they exclude anything handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

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.