Child Sexual Abuse Plus Orders Violation: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 120b and 92
Between 2016 and 2025, 20 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both child sexual abuse under Article 120b and an orders violation under Article 92.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 120b › With Article 92
Short answer: Between 2016 and 2025, 20 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial charged both child sexual abuse under Article 120b and an orders violation under Article 92. All 20 ended in a conviction with confinement, and the median was 3.8 years, compared with 3.3 years across all Article 120b cases in those services. 47% of the cases with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 36% for Article 120b cases overall.
Every Case Ended in Confinement
All 20 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and all 20 sentences included confinement (100%). The median was 3.8 years. Across all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 120b, the median was 3.3 years. A quarter of the sentences in this group were 18 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. They show the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
Sentence Lengths by Band
15 of the 20 convictions carried more than one year of confinement (75%). That is about the same as the 76% across Article 120b cases. 9 convictions (45%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 42%, and 6 (30%) carried more than 1 year but under 5 years, compared with 35%.
The other 5 convictions (25%) carried 6 months to 1 year, compared with 15% across Article 120b cases. No conviction here carried under 6 months or no confinement.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 120b |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 0 | 0% | 4% |
| Under 6 months | 0 | 0% | 5% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 25% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 30% | 35% |
| 5 years or more | 9 | 45% | 42% |
Pleas
15 of the 20 records list the plea. 8 accused pleaded guilty, and 7 contested at least one charge by pleading not guilty to it. The contested share was 47%, higher than the 36% across all Army, Navy, and Marine Corps cases charging Article 120b.
Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 95% of enlisted convictions: 3 bad-conduct discharges and 16 dishonorable discharges. Across Article 120b cases in these services, the share was 96%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Court Level
NCOs made up 60% of the accused and junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 40%. No officers appear. Across all Article 120b cases in these services, junior enlisted members were 52%.
19 of the 20 cases were general courts-martial (95%), compared with 96% across Article 120b cases. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Charges Besides Article 120b
Article 92 appears in all 20 cases by definition. Article 134, the general article, Article 128, assault, and Article 120, sexual assault, appeared in 7 cases each. Article 131b, obstruction (numbered since 2019), appeared in 5.
Years and Installations
The cases were tried from April 2016 to December 2025. Yearly counts were 1 in 2016, 2 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 1 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 2 in 2025.
Camp Pendleton, California had 4 cases. Vilseck (Europe), Jacksonville, Florida, Fort Meade, and Fort Carson had 1 each. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a count alone does not describe any one base.
Law Changes and Limits
The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019. Article 120b is a covered offense, and since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied.
Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120b 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 120b and Article 92 (20 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 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 92 (Failure to Obey Order or Regulation): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Child Sexual Abuse Plus General Article: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 120b and 134
- Child Sexual Abuse Plus Attempt: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 120b and 80
- Articles 120b and 128 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025
- How Has Article 120b Changed in Air Force Courts-Martial Since 2016?
- Article 120b explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b 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.