> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fewer or More? General Article Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-trend-2021-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:32:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:55.000Z - Description: The number of Army courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article) was lower in 2025 than in 2021: 95 compared with 113. As a share of all Army convictions with offenses listed, convictions that included the article were higher: 18% in 2021 and 23% in 2025. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 134, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 134](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-courts-martial/) › Army **Short answer:** The number of Army courts-martial charging Article 134 (the general article) was lower in 2025 than in 2021: 95 compared with 113\. As a share of all Army convictions with offenses listed, convictions that included the article were higher: 18% in 2021 and 23% in 2025\. The median confinement in these 520 cases was 1 year, compared with 6 months for the Army overall. Based on 520 cases · 2021–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Cases, a Larger Share of Convictions There were 113 cases in 2021, 104 in 2022, 110 in 2023, 98 in 2024, and 95 in 2025\. The 520 cases were 21% of the 2,422 Army courts-martial in the records. Convictions that included Article 134 were 86 in 2021, 81 in 2022, 86 in 2023, and 91 in both 2024 and 2025\. Total Army convictions with offenses listed were 467 in 2021 and 388 in 2025. As a share of those convictions, convictions that included Article 134 were 18% in 2021, 19% in 2022, 21% in both 2023 and 2024, and 23% in 2025. | Year | Convictions incl. Art. 134 | All convictions with offenses listed | Share | | ---- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----- | | 2021 | 86 | 467 | 18% | | 2022 | 81 | 424 | 19% | | 2023 | 86 | 408 | 21% | | 2024 | 91 | 428 | 21% | | 2025 | 91 | 388 | 23% | ## Confinement After Conviction Of the 520 cases, 488 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those, 429 sentences included confinement (88%). The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for the Army as a whole. A quarter of the sentences were 2.3 years or longer. Sentences longer than one year were 204 of 488 convictions (42%), compared with 28% Army-wide. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 32% of convictions, compared with 20%. Sentences under 6 months were 26%, compared with 39%. These are adjudged sentences, set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case. That matters for this article, which is often charged with others. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | No confinement | 59 | 12% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 128 | 26% | 39% | | 6 months to 1 year | 97 | 20% | 16% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 155 | 32% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 49 | 10% | 8% | ## Other Charges in the Same Cases Article 134 was the only charge in 172 of the 520 cases. The most common other charges were Article 128 (assault) in 125 cases, Article 92 (orders violation) in 74, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 72, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 56, and Article 80 (attempt) in 48. A sentence covers the whole case, so the confinement figures above include those other charges. In a case that also charges sexual assault, the sentence covers every finding, not the general article alone. ## Contested Cases and Acquittals There were 387 guilty pleas and 133 contested cases. The contested share of 26% compares with 30% across all Army cases. Of the 387 guilty pleas, 368 are recorded with a plea agreement and 19 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed but not its terms. Of the 133 contested cases that reached a verdict, 32 ended in a full acquittal (24%). That is lower than the 38% in the rest of the Army. 77 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common. ## Members and Judges Acquitted at About the Same Rate A military judge alone decided 453 cases. Enlisted panels decided 53 and officer panels decided 12\. Members decided 13% of cases overall, compared with 18% in the rest of the Army. Members decided 64 of 131 contested cases with the forum listed (49%). In contested cases, members acquitted in full 23% of the time (15 of 64). A judge alone acquitted in full 22% of the time (15 of 67). Those rates are about the same. ## General and Special Courts-Martial The records show 426 general courts-martial and 83 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share of 84% is higher than the 73% for the Army as a whole. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial can impose no more than one year of confinement. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.3 years, and 28% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 17% were contested. ## Discharges, Dismissals, and Rank Of 448 convicted enlisted members, 351 received a punitive discharge: 213 bad-conduct discharges and 138 dishonorable discharges. The Army-wide share was 73%. Of 39 convicted officers or warrant officers, 22 were sentenced to dismissal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 53% of the accused, NCOs were 38%, and officers were 8%. Army-wide, 55% were junior enlisted. ## Installations With the Most Cases Fort Bragg had 53 cases, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 52, Fort Hood 47, Fort Campbell 29, and Fort Drum 26\. Together they account for 40% of the 520 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not show a problem with this charge at any one base. ## Rule Changes and What the Records Do Not Show The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and Army records in this data are sparse before 2021\. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records do not give offense dates, so the 2024 and 2025 trials include cases under the old rules and the new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected the numbers above. They also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations. Army convictions that included Article 134, by year: 2021 86, 2022 81, 2023 86, 2024 91, 2025 91862021812022862023912024912025 Army convictions that included Article 134, by year For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 134 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Army courts-martial tried 2021–2025 that charged Article 134 (520 cases). The trend line uses convictions whose records list the offenses found, by trial year. Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Article 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-134-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) (hub) - [Air Force Article 134 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-134-trend-2016-2025/) (another service) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-134-trend-2017-2025/) (another service) - [Article 134 at Fort Hood Before and After 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-hood-article-134-before-after-2024/) - [Article 134 at Fort Bragg Before and After 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-article-134-before-after-2024/) - [Army Article 107 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-107-trend-2021-2025/) - [What Sentence Follows an Army General Article Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-134-sent-2021-2025/) - [Article 134 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.