Army Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
In 2022, 66 of 175 contested Army courts-martial ended in a full acquittal (38%), the same rate as contested Army cases across 2021–2025. Another 76 ended in a split verdict. Convictions brought a median confinement of 1.2 years, shorter than the 1.5 years for the full period.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › Army 2022, contested
Short answer: In 2022, 66 of 175 contested Army courts-martial ended in a full acquittal (38%), the same rate as contested Army cases across 2021–2025. Another 76 ended in a split verdict. Convictions brought a median confinement of 1.2 years, shorter than the 1.5 years for the full period.
Acquittals in 2022
All 175 cases in this group were contested, meaning the accused entered a not-guilty or mixed plea, and all reached a verdict. 66 ended with the accused acquitted of all charges, a 38% full-acquittal rate. That matches the 38% rate for contested Army cases in 2021–2025.
76 more cases split the charges. A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which is why partial acquittals appear often in Army records. The sentencing sections below count 109 convictions, a group that includes the 76 split verdicts.
Members Acquitted More Often Than Military Judges
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Among the 170 decided contested cases with the forum listed, members heard 95 (56%): 81 enlisted panels and 14 officer panels. A military judge alone heard 75.
43 of the 95 contested members cases ended in a full acquittal (45%). In contested judge-alone cases, the figure was 18 of 75 (24%).
Which Charges Ended in Conviction?
For each of the top charges, the table below shows how many cases charged the article and how many ended in a conviction on that article. Article 128 (assault) had the highest conviction rate: 33 of 52 cases (63%). Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) had the lowest: 39 of 89 cases (44%).
Median confinement after conviction differed by charge. A conviction on Article 120 brought a median of 2 years. Convictions on Article 128 and on Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each brought a median of 8 months, and a conviction on Article 134 (the general article) brought 11 months. A single case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 89 | 39 (44%) | 2 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 52 | 33 (63%) | 8 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 33 | 17 (52%) | 11 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 28 | 16 (57%) | 8 months |
Confinement After Conviction
82 of the 109 convictions included confinement. The median confinement was 1.2 years, compared with 1.5 years for contested Army cases in 2021–2025. A quarter of the confinement terms were 2.7 years or longer.
Terms longer than one year were a little less common than in the full period: 44 of 109 convictions (40%), against 44%. 11 convictions brought 5 years or more (10%), compared with 15%. 27 convictions carried no confinement (25%), the same share as the full period.
All of these figures are adjudged sentences, as imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, contested Army cases in 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 27 | 25% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 26 | 24% | 22% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 12 | 11% | 9% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 33 | 30% | 28% |
| 5 years or more | 11 | 10% | 15% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
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.
147 of the 2022 cases were general courts-martial and 27 were special courts-martial; the level is not listed for 1 case. The general share, 84%, matches the full period. At general courts-martial, 81% of convictions brought confinement, with a median of 1.5 years. At special courts-martial, 47% did, with a median of 2 months.
Discharges and Dismissals
61 of 98 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 23 bad-conduct discharges and 38 dishonorable discharges. Across contested Army cases in 2021–2025, 64% of convicted enlisted members received one.
For officers, the equivalent sentence is a dismissal. 11 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in the 2022 records, and 5 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
The Charge Mix
The charge lists cover 171 of the 175 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 120 was charged in 89 cases (52%), compared with 49% for 2021–2025. Article 128 was charged in 30%, against 34%.
Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared less often than in the full period: 12% compared with 17%. Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 12% of cases, against 9%, and Article 115 (communicating threats) in 8%, against 6%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, contested Army cases in 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 89 | 52% | 49% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 52 | 30% | 34% |
| Art. 134 General article | 33 | 19% | 19% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 28 | 16% | 14% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 21 | 12% | 17% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 20 | 12% | 9% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 15 | 9% | 11% |
| Art. 115 Communicating threats | 14 | 8% | 6% |
Rank and Installation
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 47% of the accused, NCOs 44%, and officers 10%. Junior enlisted members were 44% of the accused across contested Army cases in 2021–2025.
Fort Hood had 21 contested cases, Fort Bragg 19, Joint Base Lewis-McChord 14, Camp Humphreys 14, and Fort Stewart 13. These five installations account for 46% of the 175 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem.
What Is Not in These Records
These records cover what reached a courtroom. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they give trial dates rather than offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2022, a not-guilty or mixed plea, and a result posted (175 cases), compared with all such cases in 2021–2025.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Army Acquittals in 2023: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Contested Army Cases in 2024: Verdicts and Sentences
- How Did Contested Army Courts-Martial End in 2021?
- How Did Contested Army Courts-Martial End in 2025?
- Air Force Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Air Force Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Contested Air Force Cases in 2020: Verdicts and Sentences
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.