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# What Changed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina After 2019? 140 Cases vs. 283
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-before-after-2019/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:34:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:17:17.000Z
- Description: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 283 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 140 in 2017–2018. The median confinement was 8 months in both periods, and 82% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge in both.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-camp-lejeune-north-carolina/) › Before and after 2019

**Short answer:** Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 283 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 140 in 2017–2018\. The median confinement was 8 months in both periods, and 82% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge in both. In the later years, 1 of 40 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (2%), compared with 29% elsewhere in the Navy and Marine Corps.

Based on 283 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Few Full Acquittals in Contested Cases

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. From 2019 through 2023, 40 contested cases at Camp Lejeune reached a verdict. 1 of them ended in a full acquittal (2%). In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps over the same years, the full-acquittal rate was 29%.

Another 9 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal. That means not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. The records do not describe the evidence, so they cannot show why the results here differed from those at other installations.

## The Earlier Period Compared with the Later One

The records hold 140 Camp Lejeune cases from 2017–2018, about 70 a year, and 283 from 2019–2023, about 57 a year. The sentencing figures were about the same in both periods. The median confinement was 8 months in both. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 82% in both. General courts-martial were 42% of cases before and 43% after.

Convictions that included confinement were 93% in the earlier period and 89% in the later one. A few cases can change figures like these, so small differences show a direction only. Pleas are not compared across the periods, because only 4 of the earlier records list a plea.

The later period begins when the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. The records cannot show whether that law affected any of these numbers.

|                               | 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                         | 140       | 283       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 4    | 26%       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 93%       | 89%       |
| Median confinement            | 8 months  | 8 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82%       | 82%       |
| General courts-martial        | 42%       | 43%       |

## Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than Service-Wide

Of 244 convicted enlisted members, 199 received a punitive discharge: 160 bad-conduct and 39 dishonorable. That 82% share compares with 63% across the Navy and Marine Corps in the same years. Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not include administrative separations.

## Longer Confinement, Especially Above One Year

Of the 283 cases, 256 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 227 of those sentences included confinement (89%). The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the 6 months median service-wide. A quarter of the terms were 1.4 years or longer.

Sentences over one year were more common here: 77 of 256 convictions (30%), compared with 24%. Terms of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 27% of convictions, compared with 19% service-wide. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 29          | 11%        | 17%                               |
| Under 6 months                  | 78          | 30%        | 35%                               |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 72          | 28%        | 24%                               |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 68          | 27%        | 19%                               |
| 5 years or more                 | 9           | 4%         | 5%                                |

## Orders and Drug Charges Were Most Common

Of the 283 records, 263 list the charges. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 33% of cases, compared with 25% service-wide. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 30%, compared with 18%. Article 128 (assault) appeared less often, in 26% compared with 31%. Each article counts once per case, so one case can count under several articles.

When an article was charged, the accused was usually convicted of it. The counts were 84 of 87 cases for Article 112a, 77 of 79 for Article 92, 68 of 68 for Article 128, and 54 of 54 for Article 134\. The median confinement for an Article 134 conviction was 1.7 years, the longest among these top charges.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 87    | 33%        | 25%                                           |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 79    | 30%        | 18%                                           |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 68    | 26%        | 31%                                           |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 54    | 21%        | 18%                                           |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 32    | 12%        | 9%                                            |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 29    | 11%        | 14%                                           |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy                                                                                                                                 | 27    | 10%        | 7%                                            |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice                                                                                                                      | 23    | 9%         | 6%                                            |

## Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases

Only 156 of the 283 records list a plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those 156, 116 accused pleaded guilty and 40 entered not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 26%, compared with 31% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases.

Guilty pleas differed by charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 81% of the time (39 of 48), the highest among the top charges. Article 92 cases ended in a guilty plea 59% of the time (30 of 51). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the case.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 87                | 84 (97%)                | 9 months                                |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation                 | 79                | 77 (97%)                | 7 months                                |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 68                | 68 (100%)               | 6 months                                |
| Art. 134 General article                                    | 54                | 54 (100%)               | 1.7 years                               |

## Court Level and Rank

General courts-martial tried 122 cases (43%, compared with 44% service-wide). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At general courts-martial, 95% of convictions carried confinement, with a median of 1.5 years. At the 161 special courts-martial, 83% did, with a median of 5 months.

The accused were 196 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 49 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. That group is more junior than in the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted.

## Compared with Two Similar Installations

Camp Pendleton, California (291 cases) and Norfolk, Virginia (205) tried similar numbers of cases in the same years. Camp Lejeune had a higher punitive discharge share than both and a longer median confinement. Norfolk had the highest contested share and the most full acquittals.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and plea terms.

| Installation                 | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 283   | 26%       | 1 of 40                             | 8 months           | 82%                           |
| Camp Pendleton, California   | 291   | 21%       | 0 of 31                             | 6 months           | 67%                           |
| Norfolk, Virginia            | 205   | 35%       | 29 of 70                            | 6 months           | 62%                           |

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 2017–2018 (140) and 2019–2023 (283).

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-camp-lejeune-north-carolina/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 283 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 140 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2017-2018/)
- [What Was Tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2024–2026? 119 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [What Changed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina After 2024? 283 Cases vs. 119](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-before-after-2024/)
- [Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-before-after-2019/)
- [Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-before-after-2024/)
- [Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/great-lakes-illinois-before-after-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2019–2023

- [Eric Catto](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-eric-catto/)
- [Keaton Harrell](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-keaton-harrell/)
- [Nicholas Henry](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-nicholas-henry/)
- [Glen Hines](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-glen-hines/)
- [Ryan Lipton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-lipton/)
- [William Mossor](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-william-mossor/)
- [Kyle Phillips](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-kyle-phillips/)
- [Benjamin Robertson](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-benjamin-robertson/)
- [Ryan Stormer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-stormer/)
- [Adam Workman](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-adam-workman/)

Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the [Court-Martial Characters](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) membership.

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.