Did Assault Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Change After 2019?

Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 128

Based on 68 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

More Punitive Discharges Than in the Rest of the Service

A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members, or a dismissal for officers. At Camp Lejeune, 79% of enlisted assault convictions included one: 44 bad-conduct discharges and 9 dishonorable discharges. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2019–2023, the share was 61%.

The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.

Junior Accused, Mostly at Special Courts-Martial

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 85% of the accused, compared with 63% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. NCOs were 13%, and officers were 1%.

Most cases were special courts-martial. Special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge, heard 43 cases. General courts-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, heard 25 (37%). The median confinement was 1.1 years at general courts-martial and 5 months at special courts-martial. The contested shares were 27% and 23%.

Assault Was Seldom the Only Charge

Only 14 of the 68 cases charged Article 128 by itself. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2019–2023, 194 of 574 did. The most common companion charges were Article 92 (orders violation) in 24 cases and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 20. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 12. Article 129 (burglary before 2019; burglary and unlawful entry since) and Article 112a (drugs) appeared in 10 each.

When an assault charge is joined with a sexual assault or domestic violence charge, it can describe part of the same incident. The sentence in such a case covers everything charged, not the assault alone.

How Much Confinement?

Of 68 convictions, 64 included confinement. The median was 6 months, the same as in Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases overall. A quarter of the sentences were 1 year or longer.

27 convictions (40%) had sentences under 6 months, and 24 (35%) had 6 months to 1 year. Across the service, those shares were 35% and 27%. Sentences longer than one year were less common: 13 of 68 convictions (19%), compared with 24%. Of those, 12 were more than 1 year but under 5 years. Only 1 sentence (1%) was 5 years or more, compared with 5% across the service. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Most Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 41 of the 68 records list a plea. Of those, 31 show a guilty plea and 10 show a contested case. The contested share was 24%, compared with 40% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these counts use only records that list it.

None of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases, 49% of contested cases that reached a verdict did.

Of the 10 contested cases, 3 ended in a partial acquittal (30%): the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

Before and After 2019

Camp Lejeune had 44 assault cases in 2017–2018, about 22 a year. In 2019–2023 it had about 14 a year, counting full years only. The median confinement went from 10 months to 6 months. The general court-martial share went from 50% to 37%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 77% to 79%. Convictions with confinement went from 95% to 94%.

The earlier records lack plea information, so there is no contested share to compare. In small groups a few cases can move each figure, so these changes show direction, not precise size.

Year by Year at Camp Lejeune

The trials took place from February 2019 through December 2023: 13 in 2019, 14 in 2020, 25 in 2021, 11 in 2022, and 5 in 2023. These assault cases make up 24% of the 283 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.

Rules and Record Gaps

Assault under Article 128 is not itself a covered offense under the reforms that moved prosecution decisions to special trial counsel. A special trial counsel who takes a covered offense can also take related charges, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation.

The records give trial dates rather than offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. They leave out cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 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.