> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # When Article 112a and Article 131b Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-and-article-131b-charged-together/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:55:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:47:18.000Z - Description: The records hold 65 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2015–2026 that charged both Article 112a (drug) and Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019). The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 5 months for all Article 112a cases in those services. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 112a, Article 131b [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 112a](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) › With Article 131b **Short answer:** The records hold 65 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2015–2026 that charged both Article 112a (drug) and Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019). The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 5 months for all Article 112a cases in those services. 81% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 70%. Based on 65 cases · 2015–2026 · Army, Navy, and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Most Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea The plea is listed in 47 of the 65 cases. 42 of those were guilty pleas. Only 5 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 11%, compared with 18% for all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a. All 65 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. The figures that follow are mostly about sentences, not verdicts. ## What Were the Sentences? Of 65 convictions, 60 included confinement. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 5 months for the comparison group. A quarter of the sentences were 1.1 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences: the sentences announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case, including other charges beyond the drug and obstruction charges. ## More Sentences Over One Year Sentences longer than one year were given in 17 of 65 convictions (26%), compared with 16% for all Article 112a cases. Most of those were more than 1 year and under 5 years. 1 conviction included 5 years or more. Sentences under 6 months were less common than in other drug cases: 31% of convictions here, compared with 47% in the comparison group. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 112a | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 5 | 8% | 10% | | Under 6 months | 20 | 31% | 47% | | 6 months to 1 year | 23 | 35% | 27% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 16 | 25% | 13% | | 5 years or more | 1 | 2% | 3% | ## Sentences by Court Level Of the 65 cases, 23 were general courts-martial (35%), compared with 27% for all Article 112a cases. The other 42 were special courts-martial. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year. The median confinement was 1.2 years at general courts-martial and 6 months at special courts-martial. The contested share was low at both levels: 12% and 10%. At both levels most cases were guilty pleas. The main difference between the levels was sentence length. ## Most Discharges Were Bad-Conduct Discharges A punitive discharge was part of the sentence in 81% of enlisted convictions, compared with 70% in the comparison group. 44 were bad-conduct discharges and 8 were dishonorable discharges. Either court level can impose a bad-conduct discharge. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. The records list 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not dismissed. Dismissal is the officer form of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not show. ## Who Was Accused? Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 86% of the accused, NCOs (E-5 to E-9) 12%, and officers 2%. For all Article 112a cases, junior enlisted members were 76% of the accused. This group had a higher share of junior enlisted members than the comparison group. ## Conspiracy and Other Charges Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 20 of the 65 cases and Article 81 (conspiracy) in 18\. Article 107 (false official statement) and Article 134 (general article) were each charged in 11. These other charges show more of what the cases involved. The records do not break a sentence down by charge. ## When and Where the Cases Were Tried Trials took place from July 2015 to June 2026\. There were 9 cases in 2019, 12 in 2020, and 13 in 2021\. After that the counts were lower, with 1 case in 2025 and 1 in 2026\. The 2026 count covers part of the year. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 9 cases. Camp Pendleton, California and Bremerton, Washington had 8 each, Norfolk, Virginia had 6, and Fort Wainwright had 3\. These installations account for 52% of the 65 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not by itself say anything about one base. ## What the Records Do Not Show The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Since December 28, 2023, further changes moved some prosecution and sentencing decisions. Which rules applied depends on the offense date, which the records do not give. The records cannot show whether either change affected these numbers. Matters resolved without a court-martial, such as nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation, are not included. The evidence and the plea terms are not included either. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial that charged both Article 112a and Article 131b (65 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](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 - [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Drug Plus Orders Violation: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 92](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-and-article-92-charged-together/) - [When Article 112a and Article 81 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-and-article-81-charged-together/) - [Drug Plus AWOL: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 86](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-and-article-86-charged-together/) - [Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trend-2021-2025/) - [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) - [Article 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **Compare: federal court.** [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) · [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) · [Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obstruction-perjury-vs-courts-martial/) **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.