> ## 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 2024? 291 Cases vs. 142 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-before-after-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-28T06:52:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:32.000Z - Description: Camp Pendleton, California tried 142 courts-martial from 2024–2026. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 of 34 ended in a full acquittal (15%). That rate was lower than the 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps but higher than the 0 of 31 in 2019–2023. - 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 2024 **Short answer:** Camp Pendleton, California tried 142 courts-martial from 2024–2026\. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 of 34 ended in a full acquittal (15%). That rate was lower than the 26% across the Navy and Marine Corps but higher than the 0 of 31 in 2019–2023\. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months service-wide. Based on 142 cases · 2024–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Full Acquittals Return but Remain Uncommon In 2019–2023, none of the 31 contested cases that reached a verdict at Camp Pendleton ended in a full acquittal. In 2024–2026, 5 of 34 did. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either as a full not-guilty plea or as a mixed plea. The full-acquittal rate of 15% was lower than the 26% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases. Another 6 contested cases (18%) ended in a partial acquittal. A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. ## What Changed After 2023 The 2019–2023 period had 291 cases over 5 years, about 58 a year. Since 2024 the base has averaged about 52 a year, counting full years only. The contested share rose from 21% to 27%. General courts-martial fell from 38% of cases to 30%. Confinement was part of 88% of convictions before and 86% after. The median confinement fell from 6 months to 4 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 67% to 60%. In groups of this size a few cases can move a rate, so these changes show direction, not precise measurements. | | 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 | | ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 291 | 142 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 21% | 27% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 31 | 5 of 34 | | Convictions with confinement | 88% | 86% | | Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 67% | 60% | | General courts-martial | 38% | 31% | ## Confinement Was Common, and Terms Were Short Confinement was part of 86% of the 127 convictions. Only 18 convictions (14%) included no confinement, compared with 30% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. The most common range was under 6 months: 62 convictions (49%), compared with 35% elsewhere. The median confinement was 4 months, and a quarter of terms were 1 year or longer. Terms above one year were about as common as service-wide: 25 of 127 convictions (20%), the same 20% as the rest of the service. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 18 | 14% | 30% | | Under 6 months | 62 | 49% | 35% | | 6 months to 1 year | 22 | 17% | 14% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 18 | 14% | 13% | | 5 years or more | 7 | 6% | 7% | ## Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than Service-Wide Of 121 convicted enlisted members, 72 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (60%). That was higher than the 52% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 22 of those discharges were dishonorable. The records include 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, and 1 was dismissed. A punitive discharge is the most severe way a court-martial can end military service. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which is not in these records. ## Assault and Domestic Violence Charges All 142 records list charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 20% of cases, compared with 15% service-wide. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 16%, compared with 12%. Article 113, which since 2019 covers drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle, was charged in 7% of cases, compared with 3%. Article 134, the general article, was charged less often than elsewhere: 16% compared with 21%. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was the most common charge at 20%, about the same as the 19% service-wide. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 29 | 20% | 19% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 28 | 20% | 15% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 23 | 16% | 21% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 23 | 16% | 12% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 10% | 12% | | [Art. 113](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-113/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 10 | 7% | 3% | | Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 9 | 6% | 5% | | [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer | 9 | 6% | 5% | ## Outcomes by Charge Article 92 cases ended in a conviction on that article 28 of 29 times (97%), with a median confinement of 3 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction 26 of 28 times (93%), with a median of 4 months. Article 134 cases ended in a conviction 22 of 23 times (96%), and the median confinement for those convictions was 2.4 years. Article 128b had the lowest conviction rate of the most common charges, 21 of 23 (91%), with a median of 5 months. A case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 29 | 28 (97%) | 3 months | | Art. 128 Assault | 28 | 26 (93%) | 4 months | | Art. 134 General article | 23 | 22 (96%) | 2.4 years | | Art. 128b Domestic violence | 23 | 21 (91%) | 5 months | ## Fewer Contested Cases Plea entries exist for 126 of the 142 cases. 92 accused pleaded guilty, and 34 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 27%, compared with 36% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. ## Court Level and Rank A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to 1 year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge. Camp Pendleton held 42 general courts-martial (30%, compared with 37% service-wide). Their median confinement was 2 years, and 22% were contested. The 93 special courts-martial had a median confinement of 3 months, and 29% were contested. 7 cases have no court level listed. Most of the accused were junior enlisted: 93 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 32 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members made up 59% of the accused. ## Compared With San Diego and Camp Lejeune San Diego, California (126 cases) and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (119 cases) tried a similar number of cases in these years. Of the 3 locations, Camp Pendleton had the lowest contested share, 27%. It also had the fewest full acquittals: 5 of 34, compared with 12 of 44 and 8 of 31\. Its median confinement of 4 months was the shortest of the 3. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Camp Pendleton, California | 142 | 27% | 5 of 34 | 4 months | 60% | | San Diego, California | 126 | 37% | 12 of 44 | 5 months | 47% | | Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 119 | 28% | 8 of 31 | 6 months | 59% | ## Years, Rule Changes, and Limits The records include 50 cases in 2024, 55 in 2025, and 37 in 2026 through October, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel have decided whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023\. The records show only trial dates, so these years include cases under both sets of rules. The data cannot show whether the changes affected any result. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and plea terms are not in these records. 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 2019–2023 (291) and 2024–2026 (142). 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 2019? 149 Cases vs. 291](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-before-after-2019/) - [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, 2024–2026 - [Christopher Capasso](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christopher-capasso/) - [Cory Carver](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-cory-carver/) - [Alexander Douvas](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-alexander-douvas/) - [John Ferriter](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-ferriter/) - [Todd Gaston](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-todd-gaston/) - [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/) - [Andrea Lockhart](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-lockhart/) - [Peter Mcneilly](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-peter-mcneilly/) - [Mishonda Mosley](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-mishonda-mosley/) - [Jason Pfeil](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jason-pfeil/) - [Derek Poteet](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-derek-poteet/) - [David Segraves](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-david-segraves/) - [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.