How Much Confinement for an Article 131b Conviction in the Army?

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Based on 70 cases · 2021–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Obstruction and the Other Charges

An obstruction charge concerns some other matter, such as an investigation of other conduct. Article 131b was the only charge in 0 of these 70 cases.

Article 134 (general article) was charged in 22 cases, Article 128 (assault) in 18, Article 112a (drug) in 15, Article 92 (orders violation) in 15, and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 12.

A sentence covers every charge in the case. The figures on this page therefore describe the obstruction charge together with the other charges. The records do not divide a sentence among charges.

More Long Sentences Than Army-Wide

Of the 70 convictions, 65 included confinement. The median confinement was 10 months. A quarter of the sentences were 3 years or longer.

Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 20 convictions (29%), compared with 20% across Army convictions. Sentences of 5 years or more were 9 convictions (13%), compared with 8%.

Short sentences were less common. 5 convictions (7%) had no confinement, compared with 17% Army-wide. Sentences under 6 months were 31%, compared with 39%.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

General and Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial decided 48 of the 68 cases with a court level listed (71%, compared with 72% across Army convictions). Special courts-martial decided 20. The court level is not listed for 2.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial can impose no more than one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with confinement limited to six months and no punitive discharge.

At general courts-martial, 98% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.7 years. At special courts-martial, 85% did, and the median was 3 months.

Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases

Of the 70 accused, 55 pleaded guilty and 15 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 21%, the same as the 21% across Army convictions.

Of the 55 guilty pleas, 50 are recorded with a plea agreement and 5 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Every case here ended in a conviction under Article 131b. A contested case in this group may still include a partial acquittal on another charge. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

Who Decided Guilt?

A military judge alone decided guilt in 65 cases. Members decided 5: 1 by an enlisted panel and 4 by officer panels. That is 7% of cases, compared with 12% across Army convictions. In contested cases, members decided 5 of 15 (33%). The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.

Discharges and Rank

Of 62 convicted enlisted members, 48 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (77%). That is higher than the 73% across Army convictions. Of those 48, 17 were dishonorable discharges.

Of 8 convicted officers or warrant officers, 7 were sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

By rank, the accused were 35 junior enlisted members, 27 NCOs, and 8 officers. That group is more senior than Army convictions overall.

Years and Installations

The cases were tried from January 2021 to November 2025. There were 15 in 2021, 15 in 2022, 8 in 2023, 20 in 2024, and 12 in 2025. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.

Fort Carson and Joint Base Lewis-McChord had 6 cases each. Fort Bliss had 5. Fort Hood and Wheeler Army Airfield had 4 each. Together they account for 36% of the 70 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, and counts this small do not show a pattern at any one installation.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault and domestic violence. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records cannot show which trials from 2024 on were under each set of rules.

The records do not include the evidence or plea terms. They do not cover nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or cases where no action was taken.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Obstruction of Justice: 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.