When Article 112a and Article 120c Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
The records show 11 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2015–2026 that charged both Article 112a (drug) and Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure).
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Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › With Article 120c
Short answer: The records show 11 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2015–2026 that charged both Article 112a (drug) and Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure). The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 5 months in all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a. 40% of the cases with a recorded plea were contested, against 18%.
Confinement Measured in Years
All 11 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 10 of those sentences included confinement (91%). The median was 1.5 years. The median in all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a was 5 months.
A quarter of the confinement terms were 4.3 years or longer. These figures are the sentences adjudged at trial, covering every charge, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Sexual Assault Charges in 3 Cases
Article 120c appeared in all 11 cases. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 6, and Article 120 (sexual assault), Article 128 (assault), and Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 3 each. The sentences reflect these other charges as well.
Court Level
There were 8 general and 3 special courts-martial. The general share, 73%, compares with 27% in all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a.
Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.
Pleas
10 of the 11 records list the plea. 6 accused pleaded guilty and 4 contested at least one charge. That is 40% contested, compared with 18% in all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a.
Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 70% of enlisted convictions, the same as the 70% in all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a. Of these discharges, 3 were bad-conduct and 4 were dishonorable.
1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank
The accused were 8 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 2 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. The sheet describes this mix as similar to all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a, where 76% were junior enlisted.
Trial Years
Trials ran from March 2015 to April 2026: 1 in 2015, 3 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 1 in 2023, 1 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year. No trials were recorded in 2016 through 2019, 2022, or 2024.
Rules and Limits
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault. These rules depend on offense dates, and the records give trial dates instead.
The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they leave out cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial that charged both Article 112a and Article 120c (11 cases). Air Force cases are left out because Air Force records rarely list the charges in acquittals.
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
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 120c (Other Sexual Misconduct): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Drug Plus Orders Violation: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 92
- When Article 112a and Article 81 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Drug Plus AWOL: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 86
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.