How Army Child Sexual Abuse Cases Ended in 2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › Army, 2025

Based on 34 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

A Median Term of 7.1 Years

All 30 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 7.1 years. A quarter of the sentences were 28 years or longer. For all Army cases in 2025, the median confinement was 8 months.

18 convictions (60%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 11% Army-wide. 27 of 30 convictions (90%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 30% for all Army cases. No conviction had a sentence without confinement or under 6 months. The shortest sentences were 6 months to 1 year, in 3 convictions (10%).

These are adjudged sentences. They were set at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Longer Than in 2024

The median confinement was 5 years in 2024 and 7.1 years in 2025. The contested share was lower in 2025: 26%, compared with 50% in 2024. The number of cases went from 42 to 34.

Convictions with confinement were 100% in both years, and so was the general court-martial share. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 100% to 96%. In small groups a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show direction, not precision.

Most Accused Pleaded Guilty

Of 34 accused, 25 pleaded guilty and 9 contested at least one charge. That is 26% contested, compared with 20% for all Army cases in 2025. A contested case is one with a not-guilty plea to at least one charge.

All 25 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said. Any cap on confinement in an agreement does not appear in the adjudged sentences above.

4 of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. That group is too small to support a stable rate.

In the 2025 records, most of these cases ended in a guilty plea, and 27 of 30 convictions were sentenced to more than one year of confinement.

Discharges and Dismissals

Of convicted enlisted members, 96% received a punitive discharge: 18 dishonorable discharges and 9 bad-conduct discharges. For all Army cases in 2025, the share was 73%. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge. Every case in this group was a general court-martial.

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

Panels Heard 24% of Cases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone heard 26 cases, enlisted panels 6, and officer panels 2. Members heard 24% of the cases, compared with 15% across the Army.

Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The judge-alone share here mostly reflects the number of guilty pleas.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Of the 34 cases, 17 charged at least one other article. Article 134 (general article) was the most common other charge, in 10 cases. Article 80 (attempt) was charged in 4, Article 131b (obstruction) in 3, and Article 120 (sexual assault) and Article 128 (assault) in 2 each.

An adjudged sentence covers all findings. The sentences above include any other convictions in the same case, not only the child sexual abuse charge.

Who Was Accused, and Where

By rank, 21 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 11 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is more junior than all Army cases in 2025, where 50% were junior enlisted.

Fort Hood tried 5 of these cases. Fort Leonard Wood, Fort Drum, Fort Campbell, and Fort Stewart tried 3 each. Together these 5 installations account for 50% of the 34 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem with this offense.

Rules That Depend on Offense Dates

Article 120b is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. 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 only, not offense dates. The 2025 trials therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether the new rules affected these sentences.

Not Shown in the Records

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show 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. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: 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.