The Army Court-Martial Year, 2022
The Army tried 493 courts-martial in 2022, according to these records. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 26% of cases, compared with 11% in the other services in 2022. 76% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% in the other services.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Army tried 493 courts-martial in 2022, according to these records. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 26% of cases, compared with 11% in the other services in 2022. 76% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% in the other services.
Punitive Discharges Became More Common
A punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, and dismissal for officers. In 2022, 301 of 398 convicted enlisted soldiers received one: 210 bad-conduct and 91 dishonorable. That share was 76%, up from 70% in 2021. It was higher than the 62% in the other services in 2022.
Of 28 convicted officers or warrant officers, 13 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Domestic Violence Charges Were More Common
Charge lists are available for 488 of 493 cases, with each article counted once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 13% of Army cases, compared with 3% in the other services in 2022. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 26%, against 11%.
Article 112a (drug) was less common in the Army: 13% compared with 26%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common article, at 27%. Article 134 (general article) was next, at 21%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 132 | 27% | 23% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 125 | 26% | 11% |
| Art. 134 General article | 104 | 21% | 20% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 89 | 18% | 18% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 62 | 13% | 3% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 62 | 13% | 26% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 41 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 40 | 8% | 5% |
How Often Soldiers Pleaded Guilty
Pleas are recorded for 491 of 493 cases: 316 guilty and 175 not-guilty or mixed. The contested share was 36%, compared with 39% in the other services in 2022. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge.
Among the 316 guilty pleas, 278 are recorded with a plea agreement and 38 have no entry. Army records note whether there was an agreement but not its terms. Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 68% of the time (71 of 104). Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea 29% of the time (36 of 125).
Full and Partial Acquittals
Of 175 contested cases that reached a verdict, 66 ended in a full acquittal (38%) and 76 in a partial acquittal (43%). The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 33% in the other services in 2022. Army results report findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.
At the article level, Article 92 cases most often ended in a conviction on that article (73 of 89, or 82%), and Article 120 cases least often (65 of 125, or 52%). One case can hold a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 132 | 105 (80%) | 6 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 125 | 65 (52%) | 1.8 years |
| Art. 134 General article | 104 | 81 (78%) | 7 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 89 | 73 (82%) | 3 months |
Members and Judges Compared
A military judge alone decided guilt in 388 of 488 cases with the forum listed (80%). Members heard 100: 85 enlisted panels and 15 officer panels. In contested cases, members heard 95 of 170 (56%).
170 contested cases reached a verdict with the forum listed. Members acquitted the accused of all charges in 43 of 95 (45%). A military judge alone did so in 18 of 75 (24%). The accused usually chooses the forum, so the cases in each group differ. The records cannot show how any one case would have ended before the other.
Sentences After Conviction
Of 427 convictions, 359 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, about the same as the 6 months in the other services in 2022. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Sentences longer than one year were more common than in the other services: 115 of 427 convictions (27%), compared with 23%. Among the top charges, the median confinement for Article 120 convictions was 1.8 years, Article 134 7 months, Article 128 6 months, and Article 92 3 months.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 68 | 16% | 14% |
| Under 6 months | 174 | 41% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 70 | 16% | 21% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 84 | 20% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 31 | 7% | 5% |
Court Level
General courts-martial can impose any lawful sentence. Special courts-martial cap confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. The Army held 367 general courts-martial (75% of the 490 cases with a court level listed) and 123 special courts-martial. The level is not listed for 3 cases.
At general courts-martial, 87% of convictions included confinement, and the median confinement was 9 months. At special courts-martial, 75% did, and the median was 2 months.
Rank and Installations
Among the accused with rank recorded, 279 were junior enlisted, 178 were NCOs, and 34 were officers. This group is more senior than in the other services in 2022.
Fort Hood (53), Fort Bragg (51), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (47), Fort Bliss (37), and Fort Campbell (27) tried the most cases. Together they had 44% of the 493. Large installations try more cases of all kinds.
Compared With 2021, and What the Records Do Not Show
The number of cases went down from 536 to 493. The contested share was 36% in both years. Full acquittals were 67 of 190 in 2021 and 66 of 175 in 2022. The median confinement was 6 months in both years. A few cases can change numbers this size.
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, or anything resolved through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 536 | 493 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 67 of 190 | 66 of 175 |
| Convictions with confinement | 81% | 84% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 70% | 76% |
| General courts-martial | 73% | 75% |
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every Army court-martial in the data with a trial date in 2022 (493 cases), compared with the other services in 2022 and with 2021.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How 2021 Went at Army Courts-Martial (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2023 (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial in 2025: Year in Review
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.