Army General Article Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4)

Based on 277 cases · 2021–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Punitive Discharges After Conviction

Of 263 convicted enlisted members, 237 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (90%). That is higher than the 78% across all Army Article 134 cases.

Of those, 96 were dishonorable discharges. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not cover administrative separations.

Longer Confinement Than for the Article Overall

263 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those, 246 sentences included confinement (94%). The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 1 year for all Army Article 134 cases. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer.

Sentences longer than one year were 130 of 263 convictions (49%), compared with 42% across the article. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 39% of convictions here, compared with 32%. Sentences with no confinement were less common: 6%, compared with 12%.

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

Other Charges in the Same Cases

Article 134 covers a wide range of conduct. In 176 of the 277 cases, at least 1 other article was charged. The most common were Article 128 (assault) in 56 cases, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 44, Article 80 (attempt) in 31, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 31, and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 23.

The sentence covers the whole case. Those other charges are therefore part of every confinement and discharge figure in this post.

Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas

228 accused pleaded guilty. 49 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share of 18% is lower than the 26% for all Army Article 134 cases.

Plea agreements are recorded for 216 of the 228 guilty pleas, and 12 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed but not its terms.

Military Judges Acquitted More Often Than Members

Full acquittals were 29% of the 49 contested cases that reached a verdict. That is higher than the 24% across the article. Another 29 cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

Members acquitted in full in 4 of 18 contested cases (22%). A military judge alone acquitted in full in 10 of 31 (32%). The accused usually chooses the forum, so the cases decided by each are different. These small counts cannot show whether the forum affected the result.

Who Decided Guilt?

A judge alone decided 259 cases. Enlisted panels decided 17 and an officer panel decided 1. Members decided 6% of the cases, compared with 13% in all Army Article 134 cases. Members decided 18 of 49 contested cases (37%).

Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The low share decided by members goes with the low contested share.

Court Level and Confinement

There were 239 general courts-martial and 34 special courts-martial. The court level is not listed for 4. The general court-martial share of 88% compares with 84% across the article.

At general courts-martial, 95% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, 91% did, and the median was 4 months.

A special court-martial can impose no more than one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

Years and Installations

The 277 cases were tried from January 2021 through December 2025. There were 56 in 2021, 60 in 2022, 59 in 2023, 50 in 2024, and 52 in 2025. The yearly numbers were about the same across the period.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord had 35 cases, Fort Hood 27, Fort Bragg 26, Fort Campbell 20, and Fort Drum 18. Together they had 45% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not show a problem at any one base.

What the Records Do Not Show

Since December 28, 2023, new sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records have trial dates, not offense dates. Trials from 2024 on therefore include cases under both sets of rules.

Article 134 covers many different offenses, and this post does not separate the cases by specification. The records do not include the evidence, plea terms, or cases resolved 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.