How Army Domestic Violence Cases Ended in 2024
The Army tried 111 courts-martial charging Article 128b (domestic violence) in 2024. The median confinement was 4 months, lower than the 6 months for all Army cases in 2024. 35% of cases were contested, compared with 27% Army-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 128b › Army, 2024
Short answer: The Army tried 111 courts-martial charging Article 128b (domestic violence) in 2024. The median confinement was 4 months, lower than the 6 months for all Army cases in 2024. 35% of cases were contested, compared with 27% Army-wide.
A Lower Median Than in 2023
The median confinement for these cases was 8 months in 2023 and 4 months in 2024. The number of cases went from 97 to 111. The contested share went from 37% to 35%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 75% to 71%. Full acquittals went from 10 of 36 to 12 of 39.
In small groups a few cases can change these figures. The records cannot show why the median changed.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 97 | 111 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 37% | 35% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 10 of 36 | 12 of 39 |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 71% |
| General courts-martial | 77% | 75% |
Sentence Lengths
85% of the 99 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer. 47 convictions (47%) were sentenced to under 6 months, compared with 43% for the Army as a whole.
Long sentences were less common than Army-wide. 21 of 99 convictions (21%) were sentenced to more than one year, compared with 28%. 2 were sentenced to 5 years or more. 15 convictions (15%) had no confinement.
These figures are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 15 | 15% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 47 | 47% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 16 | 16% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 19 | 19% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 2% | 7% |
More Cases Were Contested
39 cases were contested, meaning a not-guilty plea to at least one charge, and 72 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 35%, compared with 27% Army-wide. 70 of the 72 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 2 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not what it said.
12 of the 39 contested cases with a verdict ended in a full acquittal (31%), lower than the 37% across the Army. 22 (56%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.
Who Decided Guilt?
The accused usually chooses whether a panel of members or a military judge alone decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 83 cases. Enlisted panels heard 19 and officer panels 7. Members heard 24% of cases, compared with 15% Army-wide. Members heard 26 of 37 contested cases (70%).
Members returned a full acquittal in 10 of 26 contested cases (38%). Military judges alone returned a full acquittal in 0 of 11. The accused chooses the forum, so the cases in each group are not alike. The difference does not show how the same case would end before each.
General and Special Courts-Martial
A general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial cannot. 82 of these cases were general courts-martial (75%, the same as the 75% Army-wide), 28 were special courts-martial, and 1 lists no level.
At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 6 months, and 43% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 56 days, and 14% were contested.
Discharges and Dismissals
71% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (56 bad-conduct and 6 dishonorable), about the same as the 72% across the Army. 12 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and 7 were dismissed.
A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Like them, it is part of the court-martial sentence. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge.
A conviction without a punitive discharge can still lead to an administrative separation, which is not in these records.
Rank, Companion Charges, and Installations
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 52% of the accused, compared with 53% Army-wide. NCOs were 35% and officers 13%.
63 of 111 cases charged at least one other article. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 15, Article 92 (orders violation) in 14, Article 115 (communicating threats) in 13, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 11, and Article 131b (obstruction) in 9.
Fort Hood tried 18 cases, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 10, Fort Bragg 9, Fort Bliss 7, and Wheeler Army Airfield 6. Together they account for 45% of the 111 cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.
Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show
Domestic violence is a covered offense. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The median confinement was lower in the same period. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which 2024 cases were under which rules or whether the changes affected results.
The records also do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128b on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2024 that charged Article 128b (111 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2023.
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 128b (Domestic Violence, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Army Domestic Violence Cases Ended in 2023 (previous / next)
- Domestic Violence at Army Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Is Army Domestic Violence Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 128b, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Army Article 128b Cases in 2022
- Domestic Violence at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- What Sentence Follows an Army Domestic Violence Conviction?
- Article 128b explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.