> ## 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. # The Army Court-Martial Year, 2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:11:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:45.000Z - Description: The Army records list 469 courts-martial in 2023. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 21% of them, compared with 11% in the other services in 2023. 74% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 61% in the other services. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › 2023 **Short answer:** The Army records list 469 courts-martial in 2023\. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 21% of them, compared with 11% in the other services in 2023\. 74% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 61% in the other services. Based on 469 cases · 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Domestic Violence Was Charged More Often Charges are listed for 462 of the 469 cases, and a case with several articles is counted under each. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 21% of Army cases, compared with 11% in the other services in 2023\. Article 120 (sexual assault) also appeared in 21%, compared with 12%. Article 112a (drug) was less common than in the other services: 8% compared with 18%. Article 92 (orders violation) was also less common: 11% compared with 18%. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 8% of Army cases, compared with 3%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common article, at 26%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the other services in 2023 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 119 | 26% | 21% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 110 | 24% | 21% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 97 | 21% | 11% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 95 | 21% | 12% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 50 | 11% | 18% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 39 | 8% | 18% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 38 | 8% | 3% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 37 | 8% | 6% | ## Most Soldiers Pleaded Guilty Under an Agreement There were 322 guilty pleas and 147 contested cases. The contested share was 31%, compared with 41% in the other services in 2023\. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 322 guilty pleas, 310 are recorded with a plea agreement and 12 have no entry. The records note whether an agreement existed but not its terms. Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 73% of the time (80 of 110). Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea 34% of the time (32 of 95). ## Results in Contested Cases 39% of the 147 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. The rate in the other services in 2023 was about the same, 41%. Army results list findings charge by charge, so many contested cases end in a partial acquittal: guilty of some charges and not guilty of others. The conviction rate on the specific article charged differed by article. Article 128b cases most often ended in a conviction on that article (81 of 97, or 84%), and Article 120 cases least often (49 of 95, or 52%). One case can include convictions and acquittals on different articles, so the rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | -------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 128 Assault | 119 | 92 (77%) | 4 months | | Art. 134 General article | 110 | 86 (78%) | 1.3 years | | Art. 128b Domestic violence | 97 | 81 (84%) | 8 months | | Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 95 | 49 (52%) | 1.9 years | ## Who Decided Guilt A military judge alone decided guilt in 379 of 467 cases with the forum listed (81%). Members heard 88 cases, 75 by enlisted panels and 13 by officer panels. In contested cases, members heard 87 of 145 (60%). 145 contested cases reached a verdict with the forum listed. Members acquitted the accused of all charges 40% of the time. Military judges did so 36% of the time. The accused usually chooses the forum, so the 2 groups include different kinds of cases. The rates are not a direct comparison. ## Sentence Lengths Of 411 cases ending in a conviction on at least one charge, 345 included confinement (84%). The median confinement was 6 months, about the same as the 6 months median in the other services in 2023\. 1 sentence was a life sentence. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Sentences longer than one year were more common than in the other services: 117 of 411 convictions (28%), compared with 23%. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 8% of Army convictions, compared with 4%. Among the top charges, the median confinement was 1.9 years for Article 120 convictions and 1.3 years for Article 134 convictions. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the other services in 2023 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | No confinement | 66 | 16% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 162 | 39% | 39% | | 6 months to 1 year | 66 | 16% | 21% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 86 | 21% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 31 | 8% | 4% | ## Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In 2023, 338 of the 446 Army cases with a court level listed were general courts-martial (76%), compared with 51% in the other services in 2023\. The court level is not listed for 23 cases. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1 year, and 38% of cases were contested. At the 108 special courts-martial, the median was 2 months, and 13% were contested. The level is not listed for 23 cases. ## Discharges and Dismissals Among 380 enlisted members convicted, 282 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (74%). That is higher than in the other services in 2023 (61%). Of those, 86 were dishonorable. Among 31 convicted officers or warrant officers, 11 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out administrative separation afterward. ## Rank and Installations The accused included 264 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 170 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 35 officers or warrant officers. This group was more senior than in the other services in 2023, where 64% were junior enlisted. Fort Hood (44), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (36), Fort Bragg (33), Fort Bliss (29), and Fort Campbell (26) tried the most cases. Together they had 36% of the 469\. The largest installations try more cases of every kind. ## How 2023 Compared With 2022 The number of cases went from 493 to 469\. The contested share went from 36% to 31%. Full acquittals were 66 of 175 in 2022 and 58 of 147 in 2023\. The median confinement was 6 months in both years. The enlisted punitive discharge share went from 76% to 74%. A few cases can change numbers this size. Only cases that reached a courtroom appear here. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. | | 2022 | 2023 | | ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 493 | 469 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 31% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 66 of 175 | 58 of 147 | | Convictions with confinement | 84% | 84% | | Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 76% | 74% | | General courts-martial | 75% | 76% | Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every Army court-martial in the data with a trial date in 2023 (469 cases), compared with the other services in 2023 and with 2022. 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 - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2022-year-in-review/) (previous / next) - [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2024-year-in-review/) (previous / next) - [Army Courts-Martial in 2025: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2025-year-in-review/) - [How 2021 Went at Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2021-year-in-review/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial in 2017: Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2017-year-in-review/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2022-year-in-review/)Next: [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2024-year-in-review/) → **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.