How Army General Article Cases Ended in 2023

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Army, 2023

Based on 110 cases · 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

More Sentences Longer Than One Year

Sentences longer than one year were 45 of 98 convictions (46%), compared with 28% for the Army as a whole. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 35 convictions (36%), compared with 21% Army-wide. Another 10 were 5 years or more.

Short sentences were less common than Army-wide. Only 22 convictions (22%) were under 6 months, compared with 39%. 13 convictions (13%) had no confinement.

Median Confinement Above 1 Year

Of 98 convictions, 85 included confinement. The median confinement was 1.2 years. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer. In 2022, the median for these cases was 8 months.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, not only the general article.

General and Special Courts-Martial

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.

There were 89 general courts-martial and 15 special courts-martial. The court level is not listed for 6. General courts-martial were 86% of the cases with a court level listed, compared with 76% for the Army overall.

At general courts-martial, 91% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.6 years. At special courts-martial, 80% did, and the median was 40 days.

Punitive Discharges

Of 91 convicted enlisted members, 73 received a punitive discharge: 38 bad-conduct discharges and 35 dishonorable discharges. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. Of 7 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were sentenced to dismissal.

A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation. These records do not cover administrative separations.

Pleas, Verdicts, and Forum

There were 80 guilty pleas and 30 contested cases. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 27% was slightly lower than the 31% Army-wide.

Plea agreements are recorded in 79 of the 80 guilty pleas, and 1 has no entry. The records do not show the terms.

Of 30 contested cases that reached a verdict, 12 ended in a full acquittal (40%). That is about the same as the 39% across the Army. 13 (43%) ended in a partial acquittal, with a not-guilty finding on at least one charge or specification and a guilty finding on another. Army findings are recorded charge by charge.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members decided 12% of cases with the forum listed: 10 by enlisted panels and 3 by officer panels. Members decided 13 of 30 contested cases (43%).

Full acquittals were 6 of 13 contested cases decided by members (46%) and 6 of 17 contested cases decided by a judge alone (35%). The accused chooses the forum, so these groups of cases are different.

Changes From 2022

There were 104 cases in 2022 and 110 in 2023. The contested share was 32% in 2022 and 27% in 2023. Full acquittals were 9 of 33 contested cases in 2022 and 12 of 30 in 2023.

Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 77% in 2022 and 80% in 2023. The share of convictions with confinement was 93% in 2022 and 87% in 2023. The median confinement was 8 months in 2022 and 1.2 years in 2023.

The records do not explain these changes. In groups of this size, a few long sentences can change the median. The figures show the direction of change more than its exact size.

Other Charges and Rank

Article 134 was the only charge in 37 of 110 cases. In other cases, it was charged with Article 128 (assault) in 23 cases, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 16, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 15, Article 128b (domestic violence) in 14, and Article 80 (attempt) in 13. A sentence covers the whole case, so these other charges are part of the sentence figures.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 54% of the accused, about the same as the 56% Army-wide. NCOs were 38% and officers were 8%.

General courts-martial were 86% of the cases with a court level listed. Most accused in this group therefore faced a court that could impose more than one year of confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

What the Records Do Not Show

Article 134 covers many different offenses. These records do not say which one each case involved. They list trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence, plea terms, or matters handled by 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.