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# Army Courts-Martial With Article 120b and Article 134, 2021–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-134-charged-together/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:27:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:46:05.000Z
- Description: The Army tried 65 courts-martial from 2021 to 2026 that charged child sexual abuse under Article 120b along with the general article, Article 134. Every one of the 59 convictions included confinement, and the median was 5 years, compared with 4.1 years across all Army Article 120b cases.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 120b, Article 134, 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 134

**Short answer:** The Army tried 65 courts-martial from 2021 to 2026 that charged child sexual abuse under Article 120b along with the general article, Article 134\. Every one of the 59 convictions included confinement, and the median was 5 years, compared with 4.1 years across all Army Article 120b cases. Most accused pleaded guilty: 47 guilty pleas against 18 contested cases.

Based on 65 cases · 2021–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Confinement in Every Conviction

All 59 convictions in this group included confinement. The median term was 5 years. Across all Army Article 120b cases from 2021 to 2026, the median was 4.1 years. A quarter of the terms here were 14 years or longer.

The sentences are adjudged sentences: the terms set at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence covers every charge in the case together, not Article 120b or Article 134 by itself.

## Long Terms Were More Common

50 of the 59 convictions (85%) carried more than one year of confinement. In all Army Article 120b cases, the share was 78%. Terms of 5 years or more made up 51% of convictions here, compared with 45%.

Terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years made up 34%, compared with 32%. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 14% in both groups. Only 1 conviction (2%) had a term under 6 months, compared with 6% in the wider group. More than one year of confinement can be adjudged only at a general court-martial; a special court-martial is capped at one year.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Army Article 120b cases overall |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 0           | 0%         | 3%                                     |
| Under 6 months                  | 1           | 2%         | 6%                                     |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 8           | 14%        | 14%                                    |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 20          | 34%        | 32%                                    |
| 5 years or more                 | 30          | 51%        | 45%                                    |

## Guilty Pleas Outnumbered Contested Cases

Of the 65 cases, 47 were guilty pleas and 18 were contested. A contested case has a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 28%, is lower than the 37% in all Army Article 120b cases.

43 of the 47 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 4 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed. They do not show what it said.

## Verdicts When the Case Was Contested

Full acquittals, meaning not guilty of all charges, came in 33% of the 18 contested cases that reached a verdict. That is about the same as the 30% for all Army Article 120b cases.

8 more contested cases ended in a partial acquittal, with the accused found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which makes partial acquittals common in Army records.

## Few Cases Went to Members

A military judge alone decided guilt in 55 cases. An enlisted panel heard 9, and an officer panel heard 1\. Members heard 15% of the cases, compared with 22% in all Army Article 120b cases.

Among the 18 contested cases, members heard 10 (56%). The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the split mostly follows how many cases were contested.

## Punitive Discharges

Of 59 convicted enlisted members, 56 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (95%). That is about as often as in all Army Article 120b cases (96%). 45 of the 56 were dishonorable discharges, which only a general court-martial can impose.

No officers appear in this group, so there are no dismissals to report. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later, and the records do not cover separations.

## Rank and Other Charges

By rank, 49 of the accused were junior enlisted members, 16 were NCOs, and none were officers. This group is more junior than all Army Article 120b cases.

Besides Article 134, the most common other charges were Article 80 (attempt) in 8 cases, Article 128 (assault) in 8, Article 82 (solicitation) in 7, and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 6\. A case counts under each article it included.

## When and Where the Cases Were Tried

The cases run from March 2021 to September 2026\. By year: 10 in 2021, 11 in 2022, 15 in 2023, 10 in 2024, 10 in 2025, and 9 in 2026, which is a partial year.

Fort Drum had 9 cases, Fort Hood 7, Fort Bragg 6, Fort Stewart 6, and Fort Campbell 4\. Together these five installations account for 49% of the 65 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## Rules in Effect and Gaps in the Data

Article 120b is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. A military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023\. The records give trial dates only, so trials from 2024 on include cases under both sets of rules.

The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.

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 134 (65 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 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-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 92, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-92-charged-together/)
- [Article 120b With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-and-article-131b-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/)

**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.