> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Child Sexual Abuse at Army Courts-Martial, 2022: The Year in Numbers
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2022/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:17:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:46:29.000Z
- Description: The Army tried 41 courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2022. Of contested cases, 47% ended in a full acquittal (7 of 15), higher than the 38% for all Army cases. The median confinement after conviction was 3.1 years.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 120b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) › Army, 2022

**Short answer:** The Army tried 41 courts-martial charging Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 2022\. Of contested cases, 47% ended in a full acquittal (7 of 15), higher than the 38% for all Army cases. The median confinement after conviction was 3.1 years. Of convicted enlisted members, 94% received a punitive discharge.

Based on 41 cases · 2022 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## More Full Acquittals Than in 2021

Of the 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge. That is a 47% rate, compared with 38% across the Army in 2022\. In 2021, 4 of 18 contested cases for the same offense ended in a full acquittal.

Another 4 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in the data.

With only 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, a few verdicts would change this rate. The change from 2021 shows direction, not a settled pattern.

## Long Sentences After Conviction

Of 34 convictions, 30 included confinement. The median term was 3.1 years, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2022\. A quarter of the terms were 7 years or longer.

Terms of more than one year were given in 24 of 34 convictions (71%), compared with 27% Army-wide. Terms of 5 years or more were given in 11 convictions (32%), compared with 7% for the Army. No confinement was given in 4 convictions (12%).

All of these are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Most convictions included more than one year. Terms under 6 months were less common: 3 convictions (9%), compared with 41% for the Army.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2022 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 4           | 12%        | 16%                           |
| Under 6 months                  | 3           | 9%         | 41%                           |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 3           | 9%         | 16%                           |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 13          | 38%        | 20%                           |
| 5 years or more                 | 11          | 32%        | 7%                            |

## Punitive Discharges for Most Enlisted Convictions

Among 33 convicted enlisted members, 31 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (94%), compared with 76% for the Army. Of those, 22 were dishonorable, a form only a general court-martial can adjudge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

## Little Change in Sentence Severity

Compared with 2021, sentences were about the same. The median confinement went from 3.2 years to 3.1 years, and enlisted punitive discharges from 95% to 94%. The number of cases went from 43 to 41.

Other figures changed more. Convictions with confinement fell from 100% to 88%. The contested share went from 42% to 38%. General courts-martial went from 98% to 100%. In groups of this size, a few cases can change these figures.

|                                     | 2021      | 2022      |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                               | 43        | 41        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 42%       | 38%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 18   | 7 of 15   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 100%      | 88%       |
| Median confinement                  | 3.2 years | 3.1 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 95%       | 94%       |
| General courts-martial              | 98%       | 100%      |

## More Guilty Pleas Than Contested Cases

A plea is listed in 40 of 41 records. Of those, 25 were guilty pleas and 15 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The 38% contested share was about the same as the 36% for all Army cases in 2022.

Plea agreements are recorded for 21 of the 25 guilty pleas, and 4 have no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said.

## Judges Decided Most Cases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone heard 33 cases, enlisted panels 4, and officer panels 2\. Members heard 15% of the cases, lower than the 20% Army-wide. They heard 4 of 13 contested cases (31%).

Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. Among contested cases in 2022, a judge alone also decided more cases than members did.

## Other Articles Charged

Article 120b was the only charge in 14 of 41 cases. Article 134 (general article) was also charged in 11, Article 128 (assault) in 6, Article 120 (sexual assault) and Article 82 (solicitation) in 5 each, and Article 80 (attempt) in 4.

## Rank and Installation

By rank, 30 accused were junior enlisted, 10 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. This group was more junior than all Army cases in 2022.

Fort Bragg tried 8 of these cases, Fort Carson 6, and Fort Bliss, Fort Wainwright, and Fort Hood 4 each. Together they tried 63% of the 41\. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## What the Records Do Not Show

These records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence, the terms of plea agreements, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 120b on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2022 that charged Article 120b (41 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2021.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [Child Sexual Abuse at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2021/) (previous / next)
- [Army Article 120b Cases in 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2023/) (previous / next)
- [Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-trend-2021-2025/) (the full trend)
- [How Army Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2024/)
- [How Army Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2025/)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Army?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-sent-2021-2025/)
- [Article 120b explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Child Sexual Abuse at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2021/)Next: [Army Article 120b Cases in 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-2023/) →

**Compare: federal court.** [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-vs-army/)

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.