How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Army?
For Army convictions under Article 120b (child sexual abuse) from 2021 through 2025, the median confinement was 4.1 years, compared with 6 months for all Army convictions. In 158 cases, 97% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 73% Army-wide.
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Short answer: For Army convictions under Article 120b (child sexual abuse) from 2021 through 2025, the median confinement was 4.1 years, compared with 6 months for all Army convictions. In 158 cases, 97% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 73% Army-wide.
Most Sentences Were Longer Than One Year
125 of 158 convictions (79%) were sentenced to more than one year of confinement, compared with 28% Army-wide. 73 convictions (46%) were sentenced to 5 years or more, compared with 8% of all Army convictions. 52 (33%) were sentenced to more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 20%. For all Army convictions, most sentences were 1 year or less.
Shorter sentences were less common here. 21 convictions (13%) were sentenced to 6 months to 1 year, and 9 (6%) to under 6 months. 3 convictions (2%) had no confinement.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army convictions in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 2% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 6% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 21 | 13% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 52 | 33% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 73 | 46% | 8% |
The Median Sentence
155 of the 158 sentences included confinement (98%). The median confinement was 4.1 years. A quarter of the sentences were 13.7 years or longer. The records include 1 life sentence.
These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
97% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. 112 were dishonorable discharges, the most severe type, and 33 were bad-conduct discharges. For all Army convictions, the punitive discharge share was 73%.
9 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and all 9 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level
156 of the 157 cases with a court level listed were general courts-martial (99%). The court level is not listed for 1 case. The rest were special courts-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge.
Guilty Pleas and Contested Trials
157 of the 158 cases list a plea: 113 guilty pleas and 44 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 28%, compared with 21% for all Army convictions.
Every case here ended in a conviction, so no contested case ended in a full acquittal. 22 of the 44 contested cases (50%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, guilty of another.
107 of the 113 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 6 have no entry. Army records say whether there was an agreement, not what it said. Any cap on confinement in an agreement does not appear in the adjudged sentences above.
Who Heard the Contested Cases?
A military judge alone decided guilt in 134 cases. Enlisted panels heard 17 cases and officer panels 7. Members heard 15% of cases, compared with 12% for all Army convictions.
Among contested cases, members heard 21 of 44 (48%). That share is higher than for all cases in this group. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
Other Charges in the Same Cases
95 of the 158 cases charged at least one other article. Article 134 (general article) was the most common, in 45 cases. Article 80 (attempt) was charged in 17, Article 128 (assault) in 16, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 15, and Article 131b (obstruction) in 10. One sentence covers the whole case, so these other charges are part of the sentences above. The records do not split a sentence by charge.
Rank, Years, and Installations
By rank, the accused were 108 junior enlisted members, 41 NCOs, and 9 officers. The group is more junior than all Army convictions in those years.
The yearly counts were 36 in 2021, 30 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 35 in 2024, and 29 in 2025. Fort Bragg had the most cases, 17. Fort Hood had 14, Fort Campbell 13, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 13, and Fort Drum 11. Together these installations account for 43% of the 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.
Rule Changes and Limits of the Records
Article 120b is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. Trials from 2024 on therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.
The records do not show the evidence or the plea terms. They do not include cases handled 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. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial tried 2021–2025: ending in a conviction under Article 120b (child sexual abuse) (158 cases), compared with all Army convictions in those years.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Sentences (hub)
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 120b Cases Acquitted?
- Pleading Guilty to Article 120b in the Army: What Sentences Followed?
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Air Force? (another service)
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Conviction? (another service)
- Article 120b explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.