> ## 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. # What the Army Tried in December 2023 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:52:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:49.000Z - Description: The Army tried 28 courts-martial in December 2023. Fewer convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge than across the year: 47%, compared with 74% for the Army in all of 2023. The median confinement was longer: 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › December 2023 **Short answer:** The Army tried 28 courts-martial in December 2023\. Fewer convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge than across the year: 47%, compared with 74% for the Army in all of 2023\. The median confinement was longer: 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year. Based on 28 cases · December 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Punitive Discharges Than for the Year Of 19 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. Those are the punitive discharges available for enlisted members. The share was 47%, compared with 74% for the Army over all of 2023. The month had 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 of them were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover. ## Longer Median Confinement In all, 24 cases ended with a conviction on at least one charge, and 17 of those sentences included confinement (71%). The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the Army in 2023\. A quarter of sentences were 1 year or longer. 7 convictions (29%) included no confinement, compared with 16% for the year. 6 (25%) were between 6 months and 1 year, compared with 16%. Sentences longer than one year were less common: 4 of 24 convictions (17%), compared with 28% Army-wide. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year. Each figure is the sentence adjudged at trial for all charges combined, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- | | No confinement | 7 | 29% | 16% | | Under 6 months | 7 | 29% | 39% | | 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 25% | 16% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 12% | 21% | | 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 8% | ## More Cases Were Contested Pleas were recorded as 16 guilty and 12 not guilty or mixed. A mixed plea admits some charges and contests others, and either form makes a case contested here. The contested share was 43%, compared with 31% for the Army in 2023. All 16 guilty pleas have a recorded plea agreement. The records show that an agreement existed but do not describe its terms. ## Verdicts in Contested Cases Among 12 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (33%), compared with 39% for the Army across the year. Another 4 (33%) were partial acquittals, where the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army results list findings for each charge, so partial acquittals are common in this data. ## Members Heard Most Contested Cases Members decided 30% of the cases with a forum listed: 7 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided 19\. Members heard 8 of 11 contested cases (73%). The accused usually chooses between a military judge and members. Most guilty pleas go to a military judge alone, so the overall split follows how many cases were contested. ## Domestic Violence Was the Most Common Charge Charge lists exist for 27 of the 28 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common, at 26%, compared with 21% for the year. Article 128 (assault) was less common: 19% compared with 26%. Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer) appeared in 11% of cases, compared with 3% for 2023\. The month tried 5 officers or warrant officers. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 11%, compared with 21% for the year. Article 131b (obstructing justice) appeared in 7%, compared with 3%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 7 | 26% | 21% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 5 | 19% | 26% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 4 | 15% | 24% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 3 | 11% | 8% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 11% | 21% | | Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 3 | 11% | 3% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 7% | 11% | | Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 7% | 3% | ## Rank, Court Level, and Installations The accused were 12 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 11 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. This group was more senior than the Army in 2023, where 56% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial made up 20 of the 25 cases with a court level listed (80%), compared with 76% for the year. The court level is not listed for 3 cases. Fort Hood tried 4 cases, Wheeler Army Airfield and Fort Polk 3 each, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Carson 2 each. Those five account for 50% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds. ## Compared With December 2022 December 2022 had 35 cases. The contested share went from 31% to 43%. The median confinement went from 6 months to 9 months. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 11 to 4 of 12. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 69% to 47%. Convictions with confinement went from 81% to 71%. Monthly groups are small, so a few cases can change these numbers. | | December 2022 | December 2023 | | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Cases | 35 | 28 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 31% | 43% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 11 | 4 of 12 | | Convictions with confinement | 81% | 71% | | Median confinement | 6 months | 9 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 69% | 47% | | General courts-martial | 74% | 80% | ## What the Records Do Not Show The data includes charges, pleas, findings, and sentences, dated by trial. It cannot show when the conduct happened, what evidence was offered, or what plea terms said. It does not include matters that ended in nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation instead of a court-martial. 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 December 2023 (28 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) - [November 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 31 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-november-2023/) (previous / next) - [January 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 44 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-january-2024/) (previous / next) - [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-april-2023/) - [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/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [November 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 31 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-november-2023/)Next: [January 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 44 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-january-2024/) → **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.