Did Assault Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Change After 2024?

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

Based on 20 cases · 2024–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Before and After, Side by Side

In 2019–2023, the 5 years with cases on record, Camp Lejeune had 68 courts-martial charging Article 128. In 2024–2026 it had 20: 9 in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 3 in 2026, a partial year. Those 20 cases were 17% of the 119 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in the later period.

Most figures changed. Convictions that included confinement went from 94% to 74%. The median confinement went from 6 months to 3 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 79% to 47%. The general court-martial share went from 37% to 20%. The contested share went from 24% to 20%.

In groups this small, a few cases can move each figure, so these changes show direction, not precise size. The yearly averages count full years only. Except where noted, the sections below describe the 2024–2026 cases, and the table sets them beside the earlier period.

Pleas and Acquittals in the Recent Cases

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 20 recent cases, 16 ended in guilty pleas and 4 were contested. The contested share was 20%, lower than the 39% across Navy and Marine Corps assault cases in the same years.

Of the 4 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal. In 2019–2023, 0 of 10 did. With counts this low, a single case changes the result.

The records do not say why an accused chose to plead guilty or to contest the charges.

Shorter Confinement Than Before

Of 19 convictions, 14 included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months, about the same as the 4 months for Navy and Marine Corps assault cases in 2024–2026. A quarter of the sentences were 8 months or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, not the assault count alone.

Fewer Punitive Discharges

A punitive discharge means a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. Among 17 enlisted members convicted in 2024–2026, 8 received one (47%), and 2 of those were dishonorable. That was more often than the 43% across Navy and Marine Corps assault cases in the same years. It was much lower than the 79% at Camp Lejeune in 2019–2023.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not show.

Mostly Special Courts-Martial, Mostly Junior Members

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. Only 4 of the 20 recent cases (20%) were general courts-martial.

By rank, the accused were 14 junior enlisted members, 4 NCOs, and 0 officers. This group was more junior than in Navy and Marine Corps assault cases overall.

Companion Charges

In 12 of the 20 cases, at least one other article was charged. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 7 of them, Article 81 (conspiracy) in 4, and Article 115 (communicating threats) in 2. Article 114 (endangerment) and Article 128b (domestic violence) each appeared once.

Why 2024 Is the Dividing Line

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Assault under Article 128 is not itself a covered offense. Special trial counsel who take a covered offense can also take related offenses, such as an assault tied to a domestic violence allegation. Both changes depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. The 2024–2026 cases therefore include trials under both the old and new rules. The changes above happened in the same period as these rule changes, and the records cannot show whether one caused the other.

What the Records Cannot Show

Only cases that reached a courtroom appear here. Assaults handled through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.

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.