> ## 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. # Article 120b With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-131b-charged-together/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:07.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:44:50.000Z - Description: The records show 12 Army courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged both child sexual abuse under Article 120b and obstruction under Article 131b. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Article 131b, 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, with Article 131b **Short answer:** The records show 12 Army courts-martial from 2021–2026 that charged both child sexual abuse under Article 120b and obstruction under Article 131b. All 11 convictions carried confinement, with a median of 5 years, compared with 4.1 years for all Army Article 120b cases, and every convicted enlisted member received a punitive discharge. Based on 12 cases · 2021–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Confinement in Every Sentence Confinement was part of 100% of the 11 convictions. The median confinement was 5 years, compared with 4.1 years in Army Article 120b cases overall. A quarter of the sentences were 25 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. ## Punitive Discharges for All Convicted Enlisted Members Among 10 enlisted members convicted, 10 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (100%). 7 of the 10 were dishonorable. Across Army Article 120b cases overall, the rate was 96%. 1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears, and that officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Guilty Pleas 8 accused pleaded guilty, and 4 contested the case with a not-guilty or mixed plea, meaning a plea of not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 33%, compared with 37% in Army Article 120b cases overall. ## Military Judges Decided Nearly All Cases A military judge alone decided guilt in 11 of the 12 cases (92%). Members heard 1 case, before an enlisted panel. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel decides guilt. ## Rank of the Accused 7 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 4 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. In all Army Article 120b cases in 2021–2026, 63% were junior enlisted, so this group was more senior. ## Other Charges Article 120b was never the only charge in this group. Besides Article 131b, Article 80, attempt, and Article 134, the general article, each appeared in 3 cases. Article 120, sexual assault, and Article 92, orders violation, each appeared in 2. ## Trial Years The trials ran from May 2021 through March 2026: 2 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021. ## Limits of the Records 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 is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. These records give trial dates, not offense dates, so the trials from 2024 on include cases under both sets of rules. The evidence, the plea terms, and conduct handled outside a court-martial are not in the records, and neither are cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. 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 trial dates in 2021–2026 that charged both Article 120b and Article 131b (12 cases), compared with all 222 Army Article 120b cases in those years. 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) - [Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128-charged-together/) - [Army Cases Charging Both Article 120b and Article 128b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-128b-charged-together/) - [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/) - [Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 92, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-92-charged-together/) - [Article 120b With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-80-charged-together/) - [Article 120b With Article 82 in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-82-charged-together/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/) - [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) **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/) · [Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obstruction-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.