Army Courts-Martial, June 2023: The Month in Review
The Army tried 48 courts-martial in June 2023. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2023. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 35% of cases, compared with 26%. Of convicted enlisted members, 82% received a punitive discharge, compared with 74%.
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Short answer: The Army tried 48 courts-martial in June 2023. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for the Army across 2023. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 35% of cases, compared with 26%. Of convicted enlisted members, 82% received a punitive discharge, compared with 74%.
Median Confinement of 1 Year
Of the 41 convictions, 85% included confinement. Half of the terms were 1 year or less. A quarter were 2 years or longer.
Terms over one year were given in 16 of 41 convictions (39%), compared with 28% for 2023. Terms over 1 year and under 5 years were given in 11 convictions (27%), compared with 21%. Another 5 convictions (12%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 8%. Terms under 6 months made up 34%, lower than the 39% for the year.
Only a general court-martial can impose more than a year of confinement. A special court-martial is limited to one year. These figures are adjudged sentences for all charges in a case, recorded before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 15% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 34% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 12% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11 | 27% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 12% | 8% |
Assault and the General Article
All 48 records list charges. An article counts once in each case that charges it. Article 128 was charged in 17 cases (35%). Article 134 (general article) was charged in 15 cases (31%), compared with 24% for the year.
Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged less often: 12%, compared with 21%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 21% of cases, the same as for the year. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) was charged in 10%, compared with 8%. Article 80 (attempts) was also charged in 10%, compared with 8%. Article 90 (willfully disobeying superior officer) was charged in 8%, compared with 7%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 17 | 35% | 26% |
| Art. 134 General article | 15 | 31% | 24% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 21% | 21% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 6 | 12% | 21% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 5 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5 | 10% | 8% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 8% | 8% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 4 | 8% | 7% |
Conviction Rates for the Most Common Charges
Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 12 of 15 cases (80%). The median confinement for those convictions was 1.5 years. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction in 12 of 17 (71%), with a median of 5 months.
Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 4 of 10 (40%), with a median of 1.1 years. Few Article 120 cases ended in a guilty plea: 10% (1 of 10). For cases charging Article 134, the guilty-plea rate was 80% (12 of 15). The records do not say why. One case can appear in several rows when it has several charges.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 17 | 12 (71%) | 5 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 15 | 12 (80%) | 1.5 years |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 4 (40%) | 1.1 years |
Contested Cases
The month had 33 guilty pleas and 15 contested cases. A contested case is one with a plea of not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 31%, the same as for the Army in 2023. Of the 33 guilty pleas, 32 are recorded with a plea agreement and 1 has no entry. The records show only that an agreement existed.
Of 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (47%). That rate was higher than the 39% for the year. Another 6 (40%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.
Discharges After Conviction
Of enlisted convictions, 82% included a punitive discharge: 17 bad-conduct discharges and 14 dishonorable discharges. Only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge.
None of the 3 convicted officers or warrant officers was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. Administrative separations are not in these records.
Court Level, Rank, and Forum
General courts-martial made up 39 of the 47 cases with a court level listed (83%), compared with 76% for the Army in 2023. The court level is not listed for 1 case. By rank, the accused were 26 junior enlisted members, 19 NCOs, and 3 officers. This mix was similar to the year.
Of cases with a forum listed, members decided 15%: 6 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. A military judge alone decided 41. Among contested cases, members heard 7 of 15 (47%). The accused usually chooses the forum.
Compared With June 2022
June 2022 had 45 cases. The median confinement was 1 year in June 2023, compared with 3 months in June 2022. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 82%, compared with 72%. The general court-martial share was 83%, compared with 64%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 7 of 15, compared with 7 of 14. Convictions that included confinement were 85%, compared with 82%.
Monthly figures come from small groups, and a few cases can change them. These comparisons show direction, not a measured change.
| June 2022 | June 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 45 | 48 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 31% | 31% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 14 | 7 of 15 |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 72% | 82% |
| General courts-martial | 64% | 83% |
Installations and Record Limits
Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 6 cases. Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, and Fort Polk tried 5 each, and Fort Campbell tried 4. Together these installations account for 52% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.
These counts include only cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, offense dates, evidence, and plea terms are not in the records.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in June 2023 (48 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)
- Army Courts-Martial, May 2023: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, July 2023: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2023 (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.