Article 120 Cases at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023: 22 Courts-Martial

Trends › By Installation › Camp Pendleton, California › Article 120, 2019–2023

Based on 22 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Confinement Than Service-Wide

This page covers only courts-martial charging Article 120, the rape and sexual assault article, at Camp Pendleton from January 2019 through November 2023. The largest difference from the rest of the service is the length of the sentences.

Of 20 convictions, 19 carried confinement. The median confinement was 3 years, compared with 1.5 years across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases. A quarter of the terms were 6.4 years or longer. Sentences longer than one year came in 13 of 20 convictions (65%), compared with 55% service-wide. Terms of 5 years or more made up 30% (6 cases), compared with 19%.

Few Short Sentences or Sentences Without Confinement

Short sentences were less common here. Only 1 conviction carried no confinement (5%, compared with 11% service-wide). 1 conviction was under 6 months (5%, compared with 16%). Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 5 convictions, or 25%, compared with 18%.

These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not only the Article 120 charge.

Most Punitive Discharges Were Dishonorable

Among the 20 enlisted members convicted, 19 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, and 15 of those were dishonorable. The 95% punitive discharge rate is higher than the 83% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases. Both the discharge figures and the confinement figures were higher here than service-wide.

A dishonorable discharge is the most severe discharge a court-martial can impose on an enlisted member. Only a general court-martial can impose it. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Almost All Cases Were General Courts-Martial

General courts-martial were 91% of these cases (20 of 22), and special courts-martial were the rest. 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.

This affects the sentence figures above, because only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

Article 120 Was Rarely the Only Charge

Article 120 was the only charge in 3 of the 22 cases. Article 128 (assault) was also charged in 14 cases. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) appeared in 5, Article 80 (attempt) in 4, Article 92 (orders violations) in 3, and Article 129 (burglary and unlawful entry) in 2.

The sentence covers the whole case, so the confinement figures include punishment for these other charges.

Pleas Listed in Only 10 Records

Only 10 of the 22 records list a plea: 6 guilty pleas and 4 contested cases. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share of 40% compares with 65% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.

12 records do not list the plea, so that share rests on a small group that may not represent all 22 cases. Navy and Marine Corps records from before December 2020 often omit the plea. The share of Camp Pendleton cases that were contested is therefore uncertain.

Rank of the Accused

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 75% of the accused. NCOs were 25%, and officers were 0%. Across Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases, junior enlisted members were 60% of the accused.

No officer appears among the accused here. The records show only the sentence adjudged. They do not show whether rank played any part in it.

Cases by Year and the Article 120 Versions

There were 4 cases in 2019, 7 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 2 in 2023. The 22 cases were 8% of the 291 courts-martial at Camp Pendleton in 2019–2023. With groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage by a large amount.

Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened, so cases tried in this period can involve either version.

What the Records Do Not Show

The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence, the plea terms, or the version of Article 120 charged. Allegations handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.

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.