28 Sexual Assault Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys, 2021–2023: What the Records Show

Trends › By Installation › Camp Humphreys › Article 120, 2021–2023

Based on 28 cases · 2021–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

A Large Share of All Cases

Sexual assault charges were in a large share of courts-martial at Camp Humphreys in these years. Of 63 cases tried between January 2021 and September 2023, 28 charged Article 120 (44%).

The yearly counts were 8 cases in 2021, 16 in 2022, and 4 in 2023. The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020. Army records in this data are sparse before 2021, so the series starts there.

More Full Acquittals Than Across the Army

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 22 contested cases here that reached a verdict, 55% ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. Across the Army, the full-acquittal rate in Article 120 cases was 42%.

Another 6 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are visible in the records.

Most Accused Pleaded Not Guilty

Of the 28 cases, 22 involved not-guilty or mixed pleas and 6 involved guilty pleas. The contested share was 79%, higher than the 71% in the rest of the Army. Most of these cases went to trial on the merits. The acquittal rate therefore covers most of the cases. The 16 convictions are a smaller group than the 28 cases charged.

Shorter Confinement Among Convictions

The cases produced 16 convictions, and 13 of those sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, much shorter than the 1.8 years in the rest of the Army. A quarter of the sentences were 2 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences: what the court imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, not only the sexual assault count.

Discharges and Dismissals

Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 8 received a punitive discharge: 3 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. Across Army Article 120 cases, the share was 80%.

The group also includes 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. An administrative separation can still follow a sentence with no discharge. These records do not show administrative separations.

Judge or Panel

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Camp Humphreys, a military judge alone heard 15 cases, an enlisted panel heard 12, and an officer panel heard 1. Members heard 46% of the cases, about the same as the 48% for Army Article 120 cases in 2021–2023.

Among the 22 contested cases, members heard 13 (59%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the overall split mostly follows how many cases were contested.

Rank and Court Level

By rank, the accused were 18 junior enlisted members, 8 NCOs, and 2 officers. That mix is similar to Army Article 120 cases as a whole. Almost all cases were general courts-martial: 26 of 28 (93%), compared with 95% across the Army.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

Other Charges in These Cases

Article 120 was the only charge in 11 of the 28 cases. In the other cases, the most common companion charges were Article 92 (orders violation) and Article 128 (assault), in 6 cases each. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 3. Article 115 (communicating threats) and Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 2 each.

Article 120 is a covered offense, one of those now handled by special trial counsel. The records do not give offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied to a given case.

Limits of These Records

The data records trial dates and outcomes only. It does not describe the evidence or plea terms. It also leaves out allegations handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action at all.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.