What the Army Tried in August 2022
Larceny was more common than usual in the Army's 43 courts-martial in August 2022. Article 121 appeared in 21% of cases, compared with 8% for the Army across 2022. Full acquittals were also more common: 7 of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict (54%), compared with 38% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2022
Short answer: Larceny was more common than usual in the Army's 43 courts-martial in August 2022. Article 121 appeared in 21% of cases, compared with 8% for the Army across 2022. Full acquittals were also more common: 7 of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict (54%), compared with 38% for the year.
Larceny and Obstruction Charges
All 43 cases list their charges, and each article counts once per case. Article 121, larceny, appeared in 9 cases. Article 131b, obstructing justice, appeared in 6 (14%), compared with 5% for the year.
Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, at 23%, compared with 27% for the year. Article 128b (domestic violence), Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation), and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 8 cases, or 19%. For Article 120, that is lower than the 26% for the year. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 16%, compared with 21%. Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 14%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 23% | 27% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 9 | 21% | 8% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 19% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 19% | 18% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 19% | 26% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 16% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 14% | 13% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 6 | 14% | 5% |
Results for the Top Charges
Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 9 of 10 cases (90%). The median confinement for those convictions was 1.3 years. Article 121 cases least often did: 5 of 9 cases, with a median of 1.5 years.
Article 128b cases ended in a conviction on that article in 6 of 8 cases, with a median of 6 months. Article 92 cases did so in 7 of 8, with a median of 20 days. A single case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 9 (90%) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 9 | 5 (5 of 9) | 1.5 years |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 6 (6 of 8) | 6 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 20 days |
Verdicts in Contested Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal. Another 5 were partial acquittals: not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.
Members heard 7 of the 13 contested cases (54%). Across the month, a military judge alone decided 35 of 43 cases (81%). Members heard 8: 6 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
Pleas and Agreements
There were 30 guilty pleas and 13 contested cases. The contested share was 30%, compared with 36% for the Army in 2022. Of the guilty pleas, 27 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not what it said.
Confinement
Of 36 convictions, 31 included confinement (86%). The median confinement was 5 months, compared with 6 months for the year. A quarter of sentences were 1.5 years or more.
Sentences longer than one year made up 10 of 36 convictions (28%), about the same as the 27% for the year. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 14% of convictions, compared with 7%. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 14%, compared with 20%.
There were 33 general courts-martial. 82% of their convictions included confinement, and the median was 8 months. At the 10 special courts-martial, 8 of 8 convictions included confinement, and the median was 36 days. All figures are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 14% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 17 | 47% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 11% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 14% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 14% | 7% |
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 76% of enlisted convictions, the same as the 76% for the Army that year: 16 bad-conduct and 9 dishonorable. Among 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later, which these records do not show.
Compared With August 2021
August 2021 had 35 cases, and August 2022 had 43. The median confinement was 5 months in both months. Convictions with confinement went from 75% to 86%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 67% to 76%.
The contested share went from 26% to 30%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 7 of 9 to 7 of 13. The general court-martial share went from 66% to 77%. Single months include few cases, and the records do not explain these changes.
| August 2021 | August 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 35 | 43 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 26% | 30% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 9 | 7 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 75% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 67% | 76% |
| General courts-martial | 66% | 77% |
Rank, Installations, and What the Records Do Not Show
The accused were 28 junior enlisted members, 11 NCOs, and 4 officers. This group was more junior than the Army overall in 2022. There were 33 general and 10 special courts-martial. General courts-martial made up 77% of cases, compared with 75% for the year.
Fort Hood tried 7 cases; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Stewart, and Camp Humphreys 4 each; and Fort Bragg 3. Those five installations had 51% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind. The records give no offense dates and do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in August 2022 (43 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 July 2022 (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, September 2022: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2022 (the whole year)
- April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases
- Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: 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.