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# Army Courts-Martial, January 2023: The Month in Review
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-january-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:11:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:45.000Z
- Description: Only 1 of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal among the Army's 36 courts-martial in January 2023. That is 8%, compared with 39% for the Army across 2023. The median confinement was 11 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/) › January 2023

**Short answer:** Only 1 of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal among the Army's 36 courts-martial in January 2023\. That is 8%, compared with 39% for the Army across 2023\. The median confinement was 11 months, compared with 6 months for the year.

Based on 36 cases · January 2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Few Full Acquittals

The month had 13 contested cases that reached a verdict. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Only 1 ended in a full acquittal (8%), compared with 39% for the Army in 2023.

Partial acquittals were more common. 6 cases (46%) ended with a not-guilty finding on at least one charge or specification and a guilty finding on another. Army results give findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are recorded. 35 of the 36 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge.

## Confinement and Court Level

Of 35 convictions, 28 included confinement (80%). The median confinement was 11 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1.8 years or longer.

Sentences differed by court level. The median confinement was 1.5 years at general courts-martial (24 cases). It was 45 days at special courts-martial (11 cases), which are capped at one year. The court level is not listed for 1 case. The contested share was 42% at general courts-martial and 27% at special courts-martial.

13 of 35 convictions (37%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 28% for 2023\. 4 convictions (11%) were 5 years or more, compared with 8%. 7 (20%) included no confinement, compared with 16%. These are adjudged sentences for all charges, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 7           | 20%        | 16%                             |
| Under 6 months                  | 11          | 31%        | 39%                             |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 4           | 11%        | 16%                             |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9           | 26%        | 21%                             |
| 5 years or more                 | 4           | 11%        | 8%                              |

## General Article and Assault Charges

All 36 records list charges, with each article counted once per case. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 14 cases (39%), compared with 24% for the year. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 13 (36%), compared with 26%.

Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 22%, about the same as its 21% share for 2023\. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 14% of cases, compared with 8%. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 19%, compared with 21%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                      | 14    | 39%        | 24%                             |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                              | 13    | 36%        | 26%                             |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                       | 8     | 22%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                        | 7     | 19%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5     | 14%        | 8%                              |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation    | 4     | 11%        | 11%                             |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                              | 3     | 8%         | 5%                              |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                               | 3     | 8%         | 8%                              |

## Results for the Top Charges

Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 11 of 14 cases (79%). Article 128 cases did so in 10 of 13 (77%). Each had a median confinement of 7 months. Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 6 of 8 cases, with a median of 2.9 years.

Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 71% of the time (10 of 14). Cases charging Article 128 did so 69% of the time (9 of 13). The records do not explain plea choices. Rows overlap when one case charges several articles.

| Article                          | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 134 General article         | 14                | 11 (79%)                | 7 months                                |
| Art. 128 Assault                 | 13                | 10 (77%)                | 7 months                                |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8                 | 6 (6 of 8)              | 2.9 years                               |

## Pleas and Agreements

There were 23 guilty pleas and 13 contested cases. The contested share was 36%, compared with 31% for the year. All 23 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement. Army records show that an agreement existed but not its contents.

## Punitive Discharges, Dismissals, and Rank

A punitive discharge followed 75% of enlisted convictions, about the same as the 74% for the year: 14 bad-conduct and 10 dishonorable. 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.

The accused were 23 junior enlisted members, 10 NCOs, and 3 officers. This group was more junior than the Army over 2023\. General courts-martial made up 24 of the 35 cases with a court level listed (69%).

## Who Decided Guilt, and Installations

Members decided 20% of cases with a forum listed: 6 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided the other 28\. Among contested cases, members heard 7 of 12 (58%). The accused usually chooses the forum.

Fort Leavenworth, Fort Hood, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 3 cases each, and Fort Benning and Camp Humphreys 2 each. Together they had 36% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## Compared With January 2022, and What the Records Do Not Show

January 2022 had 35 cases. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 5 of 14 to 1 of 13\. The median confinement went from 9 months to 11 months. The contested share went from 40% to 36%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 83% to 75%. The general court-martial share went from 77% to 69%. Monthly groups are small, so a few cases can change these figures.

The records include only cases that went to a courtroom. They do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms.

|                                     | January 2022 | January 2023 |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
| Cases                               | 35           | 36           |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 40%          | 36%          |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 14      | 1 of 13      |
| Convictions with confinement        | 87%          | 80%          |
| Median confinement                  | 9 months     | 11 months    |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 83%          | 75%          |
| General courts-martial              | 77%          | 69%          |

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 January 2023 (36 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)
- [What the Army Tried in December 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2022/) (previous / next)
- [What the Army Tried in February 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-february-2023/) (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: [What the Army Tried in December 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2022/)Next: [What the Army Tried in February 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-february-2023/) →

**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.