January 2022 at Army Courts-Martial: 35 Cases
In January 2022 the Army tried 35 courts-martial. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2022. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 35% of cases, compared with 21% for the year. 24 of 29 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
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Trends › By Year › January 2022
Short answer: In January 2022 the Army tried 35 courts-martial. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2022. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 35% of cases, compared with 21% for the year. 24 of 29 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
Assault, Sexual Assault, and the General Article
Charge lists are available for 34 of the 35 cases, and an article counts once in each case that charges it. Article 134, Article 128 (assault), and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 12 cases (35% each).
For comparison, the Army-wide shares in 2022 were 21% for Article 134, 27% for Article 128, and 26% for Article 120. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 21%, compared with 18%. Article 115 (communicating threats) appeared in 9%, compared with 6%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 12 | 35% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 12 | 35% | 27% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 12 | 35% | 26% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 21% | 18% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 4 | 12% | 13% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 9% | 13% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 9% | 8% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 3 | 9% | 6% |
Longer Confinement Than for the Year
Of 30 convictions, 26 included confinement (87%). The median confinement was 9 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1.6 years or longer.
10 of 30 convictions (33%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 27% for the Army in 2022. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 23%, compared with 16%. Fewer sentences were under 6 months: 30%, compared with 41%. A special court-martial cannot adjudge more than one year, so longer sentences came from general courts-martial.
The sentences are adjudged at trial and cover every charge in the case. They are recorded before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 13% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 30% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 23% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 30% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 3% | 7% |
Conviction Rates by Article
Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 12 cases (83%), with a median confinement of 9 months. Article 128 cases did so in 8 of 12 (67%), with a median of 8 months. Article 120 cases did so in 7 of 12 (58%), with a median of 1.6 years.
A conviction on one article and an acquittal on another can happen in the same case, so these rows overlap. The median confinement in each row covers every charge in those cases, not only the article named.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 12 | 10 (83%) | 9 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 12 | 8 (67%) | 8 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 12 | 7 (58%) | 1.6 years |
Contested Cases and Their Results
There were 21 guilty pleas and 14 contested cases. The contested share was 40%, compared with 36% for the year. Contested here means a plea of not guilty to at least one charge.
Of 14 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (36%), about the same as the 38% for the Army in 2022. Another 8 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.
Of the 21 guilty pleas, 16 are recorded with a plea agreement and 5 have no entry. Army records show whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
Punitive Discharges
Among 29 convicted enlisted members, 24 received a punitive discharge: 17 bad-conduct and 7 dishonorable. The Army share for 2022 was 76%. The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.
Rank and Who Decided Guilt
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 57% of the accused, the same as the Army share in 2022. NCOs were 40% and officers 3%. General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 27 of 35 cases (77%).
Members decided 24% of cases with a forum listed: 7 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 26. Among contested cases, members heard 8 of 13 (62%). The accused usually chooses the forum, and most guilty pleas go to a military judge alone.
Compared With January 2021
January 2021 had 34 cases. The median confinement went from 4 months to 9 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 66% to 83%. The contested share went from 36% to 40%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 4 of 12 to 5 of 14.
Convictions with confinement went from 83% to 87%. The general court-martial share went from 73% to 77%. A few cases can change these monthly numbers.
| January 2021 | January 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 35 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 40% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 12 | 5 of 14 |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 87% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 66% | 83% |
| General courts-martial | 73% | 77% |
Installations and What the Records Do Not Show
Fort Bliss tried 6 cases, Fort Hood 5, Fort Bragg 4, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 3, and Fort Detrick 2. Together they had 57% 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. Matters closed through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation 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 January 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)
- December 2021 at Army Courts-Martial: 27 Cases (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, February 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.