> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What Changed at Camp Pendleton, California After 2019? 149 Cases vs. 291 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-before-after-2019/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:34:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:17:19.000Z - Description: Camp Pendleton, California had 291 courts-martial in 2019–2023, about 58 a year, compared with 149 in 2017–2018, about 74 a year. The median adjudged confinement was 8 months in the earlier period and 6 months in the later one. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Camp Pendleton, California, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Camp Pendleton, California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-camp-pendleton-california/) › Before and after 2019 **Short answer:** Camp Pendleton, California had 291 courts-martial in 2019–2023, about 58 a year, compared with 149 in 2017–2018, about 74 a year. The median adjudged confinement was 8 months in the earlier period and 6 months in the later one. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 71% and then 67%. In 2019–2023, 0 of 31 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Based on 291 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Cases a Year After 2019 This page compares Camp Pendleton's courts-martial from 2017–2018 with those from 2019–2023\. The detailed figures describe the later period, and the comparison table shows both periods. The earlier period had 149 cases, about 74 a year. Since 2019, there have been about 58 a year, counting full years only. In the later period, there were 74 cases in 2019, 57 in 2020, 60 in 2021, 61 in 2022, and 39 in 2023. Sentences changed less. The median confinement was 8 months and then 6 months. Convictions with any confinement were about the same, at 89% and then 88%. General courts-martial were 35% of cases and then 38%. With groups this size, a few cases can change a percentage, so these changes show a direction only. | | 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 149 | 291 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 1 | 21% | | Convictions with confinement | 89% | 88% | | Median confinement | 8 months | 6 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 67% | | General courts-martial | 35% | 38% | ## Sentences in the Later Period Of 275 convictions in 2019–2023, 243 carried confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. A quarter of the sentences were 1.3 years or longer. Sentences longer than one year came about as often as elsewhere: 67 of 275 convictions (24%), compared with 24%. 12% of convictions here carried no confinement, compared with 17% Navy and Marine Corps-wide. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in its case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | No confinement | 32 | 12% | 17% | | Under 6 months | 105 | 38% | 35% | | 6 months to 1 year | 71 | 26% | 24% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 50 | 18% | 19% | | 5 years or more | 17 | 6% | 5% | ## Sentences by Court Level 110 of the 291 cases were general courts-martial, and 181 were special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 38%, compared with 44% in the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The median confinement was 1.7 years at general courts-martial and 3 months at special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. ## Punitive Discharges 177 of 263 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 128 bad-conduct and 49 dishonorable. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the share was 63%. At Camp Pendleton, the share was 71% in the earlier period and 67% in the later one. 5 convicted officers or warrant officers appear, and all 5 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. ## Which Charges Were Most Common? The charge lists cover 274 of the 291 cases, and a case with several articles counts under each. Article 128 (assault) was the most common, at 31%, the same as the 31% service-wide. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 28%, compared with 25%. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 19%, compared with 18%. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) appeared in 7%, compared with 3%. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged less often here, in 8% of cases compared with 14% across the Navy and Marine Corps. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 86 | 31% | 31% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 78 | 28% | 25% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 53 | 19% | 18% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 45 | 16% | 18% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 22 | 8% | 14% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 21 | 8% | 9% | | [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer | 19 | 7% | 3% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 16 | 6% | 8% | ## Convictions by Charge Every case charging Article 112a, Article 92, or Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article. Article 128 cases ended in an assault conviction in 82 of 86 (95%). The median confinement for a conviction was 4 months for Article 112a, 5 months for Article 92, 7 months for Article 128, and 1.6 years for Article 134\. A conviction on one article and an acquittal on another can happen in the same case, so the rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 128 Assault | 86 | 82 (95%) | 7 months | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 78 | 78 (100%) | 4 months | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 53 | 53 (100%) | 5 months | | Art. 134 General article | 45 | 45 (100%) | 1.6 years | ## Pleas and Verdicts Only 149 of the 291 records list the plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it, so plea figures cover only part of the cases. Of those 149, 31 were not-guilty or mixed pleas and 118 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 21%, compared with 31% Navy and Marine Corps-wide. 0 of the 31 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, compared with 29% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. 9 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. General courts-martial were contested more often (26%) than special courts-martial (18%). Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 82% of the time (31 of 38). Cases charging Article 92 ended in a guilty plea 75% of the time (21 of 28). The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the case. ## Compared with Camp Lejeune and Norfolk Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (283 cases) and Norfolk, Virginia (205 cases) tried a similar number of cases in these years. Camp Pendleton's contested share of 21% was the lowest of the group, compared with 26% and 35%. Its median confinement of 6 months was the same as Norfolk's and shorter than Camp Lejeune's 8 months. Its punitive discharge share of 67% was lower than Camp Lejeune's 82% and higher than Norfolk's 62%. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Camp Pendleton, California | 291 | 21% | 0 of 31 | 6 months | 67% | | Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 283 | 26% | 1 of 40 | 8 months | 82% | | Norfolk, Virginia | 205 | 35% | 29 of 70 | 6 months | 62% | ## Rank of the Accused and What the Records Do Not Show The accused were 213 junior enlisted members, 51 NCOs, and 5 officers. That group is more junior than in the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe evidence or plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. 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 Pendleton, California in 2017–2018 (149) and 2019–2023 (291). 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 Pendleton, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-camp-pendleton-california/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [What Was Tried at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023? 291 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) - [Camp Pendleton, California, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 149 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-courts-martial-2017-2018/) - [Inside 142 Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [What Changed at Camp Pendleton, California After 2024? 291 Cases vs. 142](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-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/) - [S1 E33: Dismissing the Camp Pendleton Case](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s1e33-dismissing-the-camp-pendleton-case/) (podcast, members) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023 - [Andrew Braden](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrew-braden/) - [Matthew Brower](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-brower/) - [John Ferriter](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-ferriter/) - [Andrea Goode](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-goode/) - [Matthew Harris](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-harris/) - [Douglas Hatch](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-douglas-hatch/) - [Stephen Keane](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-stephen-keane/) - [Yong Lee](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-yong-lee/) - [John Norman](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-norman/) - [Cory Picton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-cory-picton/) - [Derek Poteet](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-derek-poteet/) - [Aran Walsh](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-aran-walsh/) 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.