Army Courts-Martial, September 2022: The Month in Review
The Army tried 29 courts-martial in September 2022, and only 24% were contested, compared with 36% for the Army across 2022. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 32% of cases (compared with 27%). All 9 assault cases ended in a conviction on that article.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › September 2022
Short answer: The Army tried 29 courts-martial in September 2022, and only 24% were contested, compared with 36% for the Army across 2022. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 32% of cases (compared with 27%). All 9 assault cases ended in a conviction on that article.
Guilty Pleas in Most Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In September 2022, 22 accused pleaded guilty and 7 contested the charges. The contested share was lower than for the Army as a whole that year.
Of the 22 guilty pleas, 20 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records show whether there was an agreement, not what it said.
Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal. In a full acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of every charge.
Assault and Sexual Assault Charges
Of the 29 records, 28 list charges. A case is counted once under each article it includes. Article 128 was the most common charge, in 9 cases. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was next, in 8 cases (29%, compared with 26% for the year).
Several articles were charged less often than for the year. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 11% of cases, compared with 21%. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 7%, compared with 13%. Article 92 (orders violations) was charged in 14%, compared with 18%. Article 115 (communicating threats) was charged in 7%, about the same as the 6% for 2022. Article 131b (obstructing justice) was charged in 7%, compared with 5%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 9 | 32% | 27% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 29% | 26% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 14% | 18% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 11% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 7% | 13% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 7% | 8% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 2 | 7% | 6% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 7% | 5% |
Conviction Rates for the 2 Most Common Articles
All 9 cases charging assault ended in a conviction on Article 128. The median confinement for those convictions was 7 months. Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 4 of 8, with a median of 11 months.
These rows can overlap. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 7 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 4 (4 of 8) | 11 months |
Most Terms in the Middle Range
Of 26 convictions, 88% included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army's median for 2022. A quarter of terms were 1 year or longer.
Terms from 6 months to 1 year made up 31% of convictions, compared with 16% for the year. Longer terms were less common. Only 5 of 26 convictions (19%) carried more than one year, compared with 27%. Terms of 5 years or more made up 4%, compared with 7%. Convictions with no confinement made up 12%, compared with 16%. Terms under 6 months made up 38%, compared with 41%.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial for all charges in the case. Plea-agreement caps, clemency, and appeals can change them later.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 12% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 38% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 31% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 15% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 7% |
More Punitive Discharges Than for the Year
For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of 25 convicted enlisted members, 20 received one (80%). That rate was higher than the 76% for the Army that year. Of those 20, 6 were dishonorable discharges.
The month had 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Forum, Court Level, and Rank
A military judge alone decided 22 of 29 cases (76%). Members heard 7: 6 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. The accused usually chooses the forum. Guilty pleas are almost always heard by a judge alone.
General courts-martial made up 22 of 29 cases (76%, compared with 75% for the year). A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement.
Junior enlisted members made up 55% of the accused, NCOs 41%, and officers 3%. Across the Army in 2022, junior enlisted members were 57%.
Installations
Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 4 cases, Fort Hood and Fort Campbell 3 each, and Fort Bliss and Fort Carson 2 each. Together these installations account for 48% of the 29 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every type.
Compared With September 2021
September 2021 had 37 cases. September 2022 had 29. The contested share was 24%, compared with 35% in September 2021. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 3 of 7, compared with 8 of 13. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 10 months. Convictions that included confinement were 88%, compared with 76%. Enlisted punitive discharges were 80%, compared with 70%. The general court-martial share was 76%, compared with 73%. Monthly groups are small, and a few cases can change these figures.
| September 2021 | September 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 37 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 35% | 24% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 8 of 13 | 3 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 76% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 10 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 70% | 80% |
| General courts-martial | 73% | 76% |
What the Records Do Not Show
These records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases with no action are not included. The evidence and plea terms are also 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 September 2022 (29 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)
- What the Army Tried in August 2022 (previous / next)
- October 2022 at Army Courts-Martial: 42 Cases (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.