What the Army Tried in December 2022
The Army tried 35 courts-martial in December 2022, and most ended with a guilty plea. Only 3 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 38% for the Army across 2022.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › December 2022
Short answer: The Army tried 35 courts-martial in December 2022, and most ended with a guilty plea. Only 3 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (27%), compared with 38% for the Army across 2022. 69% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 76% for the year.
Fewer Full Acquittals Than the Year
A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, whether to everything or as a mixed plea. December 2022 had 11 such cases with a verdict, and 3 ended in a full acquittal (27%). Across the Army for all of 2022, the full acquittal rate in contested cases that reached a verdict was 38%.
Another 4 contested cases (36%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army results record findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army records.
Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas
Of the 35 accused, 24 pleaded guilty and 11 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 31%, lower than the 36% for the Army across 2022.
Every one of the 24 guilty pleas is recorded with a plea agreement. Army records note only that an agreement existed. They do not say what it promised, capped, or required.
Assault, Drugs, and the General Article
Charge lists exist for all 35 cases, and a case charging several articles counts once under each. Article 134, the general article, was the most common charge, at 26%, compared with 21% for the year. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 17% of cases, compared with 13% for 2022.
Article 128 (assault) was charged in 23% of cases, compared with 27% for the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 11%, compared with 26% across 2022. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) and Article 121 (larceny) each appeared in 11%, compared with 8% each for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 26% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 23% | 27% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 17% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 17% | 18% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 4 | 11% | 13% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 11% | 26% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 11% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 11% | 8% |
Results for the Top Charges
Of the 8 cases charging Article 128, 7 ended in a conviction on that article, and the median confinement for those convictions was 4 months. Article 134 cases less often ended in a conviction on that article: 5 of 9 cases, with a median of 1.3 years.
These rows can overlap. One case can include a conviction under one article and an acquittal under another.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 5 (5 of 9) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 4 months |
Discharges and Dismissals
A punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member, and dismissal for an officer. Among 29 convicted enlisted members, 20 received one (69%), and 5 of those were dishonorable. The Army-wide figure for 2022 was 76%.
The month also had 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Confinement
Of 32 convictions, 26 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as for the Army over all of 2022. A quarter of sentences were 1 year or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were less common: 6 of 32 convictions (19%), compared with 27% for the year. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than a year. A special court-martial is capped at one year. All figures are adjudged sentences covering every charge in the case, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 19% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 41% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 22% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 12% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 6% | 7% |
Compared With December 2021
December 2021 had 27 cases. The contested share went from 41% to 31%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 2 of 11 to 3 of 11. The median confinement was 6 months in both months, and the general court-martial share was 74% in both.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 79% to 69%. Convictions with confinement went from 88% to 81%. In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage.
| December 2021 | December 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 27 | 35 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 41% | 31% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 11 | 3 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 79% | 69% |
| General courts-martial | 74% | 74% |
Rank, Installations, and Who Decided Guilt
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 54% of the accused, about the same as the 57% for the Army in 2022. NCOs were 34% and officers 11%. General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, accounted for 26 of the 35 cases (74%).
Fort Bragg tried 7 cases, Fort Bliss and Fort Campbell 3 each, and Fort Drum and Joint Base Lewis-McChord 2 each. Together they had 49% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases overall, so a count alone says little about any one installation.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 30 of 35 cases (86%). Members heard 5: 4 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. All 5 were contested cases. The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
What the Records Do Not Show
These records cover the trial only: charges, pleas, findings, and the adjudged sentence. They give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the terms of plea agreements. They do not cover nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in December 2022 (35 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)
- November 2022 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, January 2023: 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.