> ## 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. # Air Force Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2022-verdicts/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:30:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:30:37.000Z - Description: Contested Air Force courts-martial in 2022 numbered 124, and the median confinement after a conviction was 1.4 years, longer than the 1-year median across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. 56 cases ended in a full acquittal (45%), lower than the 50% rate for 2020–2025. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › Air Force 2022, contested **Short answer:** Contested Air Force courts-martial in 2022 numbered 124, and the median confinement after a conviction was 1.4 years, longer than the 1-year median across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025\. 56 cases ended in a full acquittal (45%), lower than the 50% rate for 2020–2025\. A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions, compared with 55%. Based on 124 cases · 2022 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Longer Sentences Than the 2020–2025 Median 68 of the 124 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 52 of those sentences included confinement (76%). The median confinement was 1.4 years. Across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025, it was 1 year. A quarter of the 2022 sentences with confinement were 3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. ## More Sentences Longer Than One Year 29 of 68 convictions (43%) included more than one year of confinement, more often than the 35% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025\. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 31%, compared with 26%. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 12%, compared with 9%. The middle band was smaller. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 7%, compared with 14%. 16 convictions carried no confinement (24%), compared with 22%. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 16 | 24% | 22% | | Under 6 months | 18 | 26% | 29% | | 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 7% | 14% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 21 | 31% | 26% | | 5 years or more | 8 | 12% | 9% | ## Sexual Assault and Assault Charges The charge lists cover 67 of the 124 cases, and Air Force records list charges mainly for convictions. Among those 67, Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 37%, compared with 31% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025\. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 28%, compared with 21%. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 4% of the listed cases, compared with 11%. A case with several articles is counted once under each. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------- | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 25 | 37% | 31% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 19 | 28% | 21% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15 | 22% | 18% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 12 | 18% | 14% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 10 | 15% | 17% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5 | 7% | 9% | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 3 | 4% | 11% | | [Art. 113](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-113/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle | 3 | 4% | 4% | ## Sentences When Convicted of Each Charge Of 25 listed cases charging Article 120, 23 ended in a conviction on it, with a median confinement of 3.2 years. Article 128 convictions numbered 16 of 19, with a median of 1.5 years. Article 112a convictions had a median of 4 months, and Article 92 convictions a median of 3 months. These are counts of convictions among cases with charges listed. They are not conviction rates, because charges are listed mainly when a conviction followed. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 25 | 23 | 3.2 years | | Art. 128 Assault | 19 | 16 | 1.5 years | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15 | 14 | 4 months | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 12 | 12 | 3 months | ## Full Acquittals Below the 2020–2025 Rate A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, and all 124 cases here were contested, with no guilty pleas. 56 of the 124 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (45%), lower than the 50% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025\. 31 cases split the charges, meaning the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case. A partial acquittal appears in these records only when an appeals opinion reports it. ## Panels and Military Judges A military judge alone decided 40 cases. Members decided 84, with 60 enlisted panels and 24 officer panels. Members heard 68% of the cases, compared with 75% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. Full acquittals came in 39 of 84 contested members cases (46%) and 17 of 40 contested judge-alone cases (42%). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt, so these groups are not alike, and the figures do not show an effect of the forum. ## Discharges, Rank, and Court Level A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions: 29 dishonorable discharges and 10 bad-conduct discharges. Across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025, the share was 55%. 5 convicted officers or warrant officers appear here, and 3 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. NCOs made up 48% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 45%, and officers 7%. Across 2020–2025, junior enlisted members were 54%. General courts-martial heard 89 cases (72%), with a median confinement of 2 years. Special courts-martial heard 35, with a median of 3 months. ## Installations and Gaps in the Records Minot AFB, North Dakota had 6 cases, Hurlburt Field, Florida 5, and Nellis AFB, Nevada, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, and JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey 4 each. Those five account for 19% of the 124\. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so these counts are not a measure of misconduct at any base. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. They give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or the evidence in any case. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2022, a not-guilty or mixed plea, and a result posted (124 cases), compared with all such cases in 2020–2025. 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 - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Air Force Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2024-verdicts/) - [Contested Air Force Cases in 2020: Verdicts and Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2020-verdicts/) - [Contested Air Force Cases in 2021: Verdicts and Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2021-verdicts/) - [Contested Air Force Cases in 2025: Verdicts and Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2025-verdicts/) - [How Did Contested Air Force Courts-Martial End in 2023?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2023-verdicts/) - [Army Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-army-courts-martial-2022-verdicts/) - [Army Acquittals in 2023: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-army-courts-martial-2023-verdicts/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **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.