> ## 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.

# April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-april-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:11:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:46.000Z
- Description: Sexual offense charges were common in the Army's 49 courts-martial in April 2023. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 24% of cases, compared with 8% for the Army across 2023. Article 120 appeared in 31%, compared with 21%.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › April 2023

**Short answer:** Sexual offense charges were common in the Army's 49 courts-martial in April 2023\. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 24% of cases, compared with 8% for the Army across 2023\. Article 120 appeared in 31%, compared with 21%. 57% of contested cases ended in a full acquittal, compared with 39% for the year. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months.

Based on 49 cases · April 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Child and Adult Sexual Assault Charges

Every case has a charge list, and each article counts once per case. Article 120, rape and sexual assault, appeared in 15 cases (31%), and Article 120b in 12 (24%). Both shares were higher than for the year.

Assault under Article 128 was less common: 14% compared with 26% for the Army in 2023\. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 27%, and Article 128b, domestic violence, in 24%. Article 112a (drugs), Article 86 (AWOL), and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each appeared in 10% or fewer.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 15    | 31%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 13    | 27%        | 24%                             |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 12    | 24%        | 8%                              |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                             | 12    | 24%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 7     | 14%        | 26%                             |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5     | 10%        | 8%                              |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 4     | 8%         | 5%                              |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 4     | 8%         | 11%                             |

## Many Full Acquittals

A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 23 contested cases that reached a verdict, 13 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. Another 7 were partial acquittals: guilty of some charges and not guilty of others. Army records show partial acquittals because they list findings charge by charge.

Members acquitted the accused of all charges in 8 of 13 contested cases (62%). Military judges alone did so in 5 of 10 (50%). Members heard 13 of the 23 contested cases. The accused usually chooses between a military judge and a panel of members.

## More Cases Were Contested

There were 23 contested cases and 26 guilty pleas. The contested share was 47%, compared with 31% for the year. Of the guilty pleas, 23 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. The records do not show any agreement's terms.

Pleas differed by charge. Cases charging Article 128b ended in a guilty plea 75% of the time (9 of 12). Cases charging Article 120 did so 20% of the time (3 of 15). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.

## Results for the Top Charges

Article 128b cases most often ended in a conviction on that article: 10 of 12 cases (83%). The median confinement was 10 months. Article 120 cases least often did: 7 of 15 (47%). The median confinement for those convictions was 4 years.

Article 120b cases ended in a conviction on that article in 6 of 12 cases (50%), with a median confinement of 2.6 years. Article 134 cases did so in 8 of 13 (62%), with a median of 2 years. 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. 120 Rape and sexual assault             | 15                | 7 (47%)                 | 4 years                                 |
| Art. 134 General article                     | 13                | 8 (62%)                 | 2 years                                 |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 12                | 6 (50%)                 | 2.6 years                               |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence                  | 12                | 10 (83%)                | 10 months                               |

## Longer Confinement

Confinement was part of 86% of the 36 convictions. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months for the year. A quarter of sentences were 4 years or more.

Sentences longer than one year made up 13 of 36 convictions (36%), compared with 28%. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 17%, compared with 8%. At the 38 general courts-martial, 92% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2 years. At the 10 special courts-martial, 70% did, and the median was 3 months. The level is missing for 1 case.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial for all charges and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 5           | 14%        | 16%                             |
| Under 6 months                  | 11          | 31%        | 39%                             |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 7           | 19%        | 16%                             |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7           | 19%        | 21%                             |
| 5 years or more                 | 6           | 17%        | 8%                              |

## Discharges and Dismissals

Of 33 convicted enlisted members, 24 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (73%), about the same as the 74% for the year. 11 of the 24 were dishonorable. Of 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Compared With April 2022

Both months had 49 cases, but the results were different. The contested share went from 35% to 47%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 4 of 17 to 13 of 23\. The median confinement went from 6 months to 11 months.

Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 76% to 73%. The general court-martial share went from 75% to 79%. Single months include few cases, and the records do not explain these changes.

|                                     | April 2022 | April 2023 |
| ----------------------------------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| Cases                               | 49         | 49         |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 35%        | 47%        |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 17    | 13 of 23   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 89%        | 86%        |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months   | 11 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 76%        | 73%        |
| General courts-martial              | 75%        | 79%        |

## Rank, Installations, and What the Records Do Not Show

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 53% of the accused, NCOs 41%, and officers 6%. The junior enlisted share for the year was 56%. A military judge alone decided 36 cases. Members heard 13: 12 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.

Fort Bliss tried 5 cases, and Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Riley, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord 4 each, together 43% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Army courts-martial with a trial date in April 2023 (49 cases), compared with the whole 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

- [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)
- [Army Courts-Martial, March 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-march-2023/) (previous / next)
- [Army Courts-Martial, May 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-may-2023/) (previous / next)
- [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/) (the whole year)
- [April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-april-2024/)
- [Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-august-2025/)
- [Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2024/)
- [Army Courts-Martial, December 2025: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2025/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Army Courts-Martial, March 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-march-2023/)Next: [Army Courts-Martial, May 2023: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-may-2023/) →

**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.