Understanding Trends
Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends
Analysis of the 1,524 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial in the data that charged Article 120 (Rape and sexual assault).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 120
Analysis of the 1,524 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial in the data that charged Article 120 (Rape and sexual assault).
By Service
- Fewer or More? Sexual Assault Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- Is Air Force Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2016–2025
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025
Sentences
- Article 120 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 120 Conviction in the Air Force?
- Article 120 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
Contested Cases and Acquittals
- Fighting an Army Sexual Assault Charge: How Contested Cases Ended
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases: What Happened at Trial
Guilty Pleas
- When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Sexual Assault
- When Air Force Accused Plead Guilty to Sexual Assault
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
By Installation
- Did Sexual Assault Cases at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Change After 2024?
- Article 120 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Before and After 2019
- Article 120 at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2019
- Sexual Assault Cases at Jacksonville, Florida: 2013–2018 vs. 2020–2022
- Sexual Assault Cases at Norfolk, Virginia: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Sexual Assault Cases at Okinawa, Japan: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Sexual Assault Cases at Pensacola, Florida: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Sexual Assault Cases at San Diego, California: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Did Sexual Assault Cases at Yokosuka, Japan Change After 2019?
- 28 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys, 2021–2023: What the Records Show
- 16 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss, 2021–2023: What the Records Show
- 38 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg, 2021–2023: What the Records Show
- 24 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Fort Campbell, 2021–2023: What the Records Show
- Sexual Assault Charges at Fort Hood, 2021–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- How Fort Stewart Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2021–2023
- How Joint Base Lewis-McChord Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2021–2023
- Sexual Assault Charges at Wheeler Army Airfield, 2021–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- 23 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: What the Records Show
- How Bremerton, Washington Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2019–2023
- How Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2019–2023
- Article 120 Cases at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023: 22 Courts-Martial
- Article 120 Cases at Mayport, Florida, 2013–2017: 21 Courts-Martial
- How Norfolk, Virginia Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2013–2018
- Article 120 Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023: 38 Courts-Martial
- Sexual Assault Charges at Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- How Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Handled Sexual Assault Cases (Article 120), 2013–2018
- Article 120 Cases at Pensacola, Florida, 2013–2018: 22 Courts-Martial
- Sexual Assault Charges at San Diego, California, 2013–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- Article 120 Cases at San Diego, California, 2019–2023: 28 Courts-Martial
- 21 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Washington, D.C., 2013–2018: What the Records Show
- 31 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Yokosuka, Japan, 2013–2018: What the Records Show
Year by Year
- How Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2016
- Sexual Assault at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2017: The Year in Numbers
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2018
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2019
- How Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2020
- Sexual Assault at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2022
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2023
- Sexual Assault at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2024: The Year in Numbers
- Air Force Article 120 Cases in 2025
- Sexual Assault at Army Courts-Martial, 2021: The Year in Numbers
- Army Article 120 Cases in 2022
- Army Article 120 Cases in 2023
- Army Article 120 Cases in 2024
- Army Article 120 Cases in 2025
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2017
- Sexual Assault at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers
- Sexual Assault at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases in 2020
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2021
- Sexual Assault at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2022: The Year in Numbers
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2023
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2024
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2025
By Rank
- What Happens to Army Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Facing Sexual Assault Charges?
- NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 120 in the Army
- Officers Charged Under Article 120 in the Army
- What Happens to Air Force Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Facing Sexual Assault Charges?
- Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences
- Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Against Officers: Outcomes and Sentences
- What Happens to Navy-Marine Corps Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Facing Sexual Assault Charges?
- Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences
- What Happens to Navy-Marine Corps Officers Facing Sexual Assault Charges?
Charged Together With Other Articles
- Articles 120 and 128 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- Articles 120 and 134 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 120 and Article 120b Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Articles 120 and 80 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 120 and Article 92 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Articles 107 and 120 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- Articles 120 and 120c in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 120 and Article 131b Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Articles 120 and 128b in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 112a and Article 120 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Sexual Assault Plus Disobeying An Officer: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 120 and 90
- Articles 120 and 93 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- Communicating Threats Plus Sexual Assault: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 115 and 120
- When Article 120 and Article 129 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- When Article 120 and Article 81 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- When Article 120 and Article 121 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Articles 119b and 120 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
Charged Together, by Service
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 107 and Article 120
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 115 and Article 120
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 120 and Article 120c
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 120 and Article 90
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 120 and Article 93
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 120, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 128, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 128b, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 134, 2021–2026
- Article 120 With Article 120b in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 120 With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 120 With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 120 With Article 92 in the Army: What the Records Show
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 128, 2021–2026
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 134, 2021–2025
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 120 and Article 92, 2021–2025
Counsel of Record
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 120 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 120 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
Law Changes
- Air Force Sexual Assault Cases Before and After the Office of Special Trial Counsel
- Army Sexual Assault Cases Before and After the Office of Special Trial Counsel
- Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Before and After the Office of Special Trial Counsel
Across the Services
Judge Alone or Members
- Contested Army Article 120 Cases Decided by Members (A Panel)
- Contested Army Article 120 Cases Decided by a Military Judge Alone
Common Questions
What the offense covers: Article 120 on the law firm's website.
On the podcast: S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath (members).
How this data was built: methodology and known gaps.
Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.