April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases
Sentences in the Army's 46 courts-martial of April 2024 were longer than for the year. The median confinement was 1.3 years, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2024. 88% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 72%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: Sentences in the Army's 46 courts-martial of April 2024 were longer than for the year. The median confinement was 1.3 years, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2024. 88% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 72%. 51% of convictions included more than one year of confinement, compared with 28% for the year.
Most Convictions Included More Than a Year
Of 39 convictions, 20 (51%) included more than one year of confinement. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 36% of convictions, compared with 21% across the Army. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 15%, compared with 7%.
Confinement was part of 90% of convictions overall. The median confinement was 1.3 years, and a quarter of sentences were 3.3 years or more. Sentences under 6 months made up only 26% of convictions, compared with 43% for the year.
All of these are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial for every charge in the case, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 10% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 26% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 13% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 14 | 36% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 15% | 7% |
Most Were General Courts-Martial
General courts-martial made up 39 cases, with 5 special courts-martial and 2 where the level is not listed. General courts-martial made up 89% of the cases with a court level listed, compared with 75% for the Army in 2024.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year and a bad-conduct discharge.
Most Convicted Enlisted Members Received a Punitive Discharge
Of 33 convicted enlisted members, 29 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (88%). 10 of the 29 were dishonorable. Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 3 were dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation afterward, which these records do not track.
Charges and Their Outcomes
Every case lists its charges, and each article counts once per case. Article 134, the general article, was the most common, at 30%, compared with 21% for the year. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, appeared in 17%, compared with 8%. Article 128 (assault) was less common: 15% compared with 23%.
Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 26%, Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) in 22%, and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) and Article 80 (attempts) each in 13%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 14 | 30% | 21% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 26% | 23% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 22% | 15% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 17% | 8% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 7 | 15% | 23% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 15% | 12% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 6 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 6 | 13% | 7% |
Convictions on Each Top Article
All 8 cases charging Article 112a ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 1 year. Article 134 cases did so in 13 of 14 (93%), with a median of 2 years. Article 128b cases did so in 10 of 12 (83%), with a median of 1.3 years.
Article 120 had the lowest rate: 4 of 10 cases (40%) ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement for those convictions was 3.3 years. Pleas also differed. Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 79% of the time (11 of 14), compared with 20% for Article 120 (2 of 10). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges. The rows overlap because one case can include different results on different articles.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 14 | 13 (93%) | 2 years |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 10 (83%) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 4 (40%) | 3.3 years |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 1 year |
Pleas, Verdicts, and Who Decided Guilt
There were 31 guilty pleas and 15 contested cases, meaning a not-guilty plea to at least one charge. The contested share was 33%, compared with 27% for the year. Of the guilty pleas, 30 are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records note whether there was an agreement, not its terms.
Of the 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (47%), compared with 37% for the year. 4 (27%) ended in a partial acquittal: guilty of some charges but not others. A military judge alone decided 37 cases. Members heard 7: 5 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Members heard 7 of 13 contested cases.
Compared With April 2023
April 2023 had 49 cases, compared with 46 in April 2024. The median confinement went from 11 months to 1.3 years. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 73% to 88%. The general court-martial share went from 79% to 89%.
The contested share went from 47% to 33%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 13 of 23 to 7 of 15. A few cases can change monthly figures, so these are not firm trends.
| April 2023 | April 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 49 | 46 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 47% | 33% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 13 of 23 | 7 of 15 |
| Convictions with confinement | 86% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 11 months | 1.3 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 73% | 88% |
| General courts-martial | 79% | 89% |
Rank, Installations, and Law Changes
The accused were 23 junior enlisted members, 17 NCOs, and 5 officers or warrant officers, similar to the Army overall, where 53% were junior enlisted. Fort Polk, Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Wainwright, and Fort Hood tried 3 cases each. Together they had 33% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. Both depend on offense dates, which these records do not give. 2024 trials therefore mix old-rule and new-rule cases. The records cannot show whether the rules affected these sentences. They also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in April 2024 (46 cases), compared with the whole year.
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)
- What the Army Tried in March 2024 (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, May 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024 (the whole year)
- April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2025: The Month 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.