General Article at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Army, 2021

Based on 113 cases · 2021 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Few Full Acquittals

There were 39 contested cases that reached a verdict. 13% of them ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. Across the Army in 2021, the rate was 35%.

Another 27 cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge, but guilty of another. Army findings are reported charge by charge, so many contested cases end in a partial acquittal.

Members Acquitted Less Often Than Judges

In most cases, the accused chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members decided 22 of the 39 contested cases (56%). They acquitted in full in 2 of 22 (9%). A judge alone acquitted in full in 3 of 17 (18%).

The accused chooses the forum, so the 2 groups of cases differ in ways the records do not show.

Across all 113 cases, a judge alone decided guilt in 91 (81%). Members decided 22: 19 by enlisted panels and 3 by officer panels.

Median Confinement of 1 Year

Confinement was part of 83% of the 108 convictions. The median confinement was 1 year. A quarter of the sentences were 2.7 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.

Sentences longer than one year were 43 of 108 convictions (40%), compared with 26% Army-wide. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 29 convictions (27%), compared with 18% Army-wide. 14 convictions (13%) were 5 years or more.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 134 covers a range of offenses that are not listed elsewhere in the code. It was the only charge in 18 of the 113 cases.

The most common other charges were Article 128 (assault) in 47 cases, Article 92 (orders violation) in 28, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 26, Article 107 (false official statement) in 15, and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 14.

A sentence covers all charges. The long sentences here therefore describe whole cases, often including assault or sexual assault, not the general article alone.

General and Special Courts-Martial

Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial can impose no more than one year. General courts-martial were 92 of these 113 cases (81%), and special courts-martial were 21.

At general courts-martial, 87% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, 67% did, and the median was 4 months.

Guilty Pleas and Plea Agreements

Of 113 cases, 74 were guilty pleas and 39 were contested. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 35% was about the same as the 36% across the Army.

Plea agreements are recorded for 69 of the 74 guilty pleas, and 5 have no entry. Army records show only whether an agreement existed.

The contested share was about the same as the Army's, but the full acquittal rate was lower. Most accused who contested were still convicted of at least 1 charge. A guilty plea settles guilt for the charges it covers, and the sentence is then the main question at trial.

Discharges and Dismissals

A punitive discharge followed 66% of enlisted convictions: 41 bad-conduct discharges and 25 dishonorable discharges. The share across the Army was 70%.

Of 8 convicted officers or warrant officers, 6 were sentenced to dismissal, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Rank and Installations

Of the accused with rank recorded, 56 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 48 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 8 were officers or warrant officers. That group is more senior than the Army overall, where 58% were junior enlisted.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Bragg had 12 of these cases each. Fort Carson had 9, Fort Drum had 8, and Fort Hood had 7. Together they had 42% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so these counts do not show a pattern at any one installation.

What the Records Do Not Show

The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021, so there is no earlier year to compare.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence or plea terms. They do not include conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.