Aggravated Assault Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
Courts-martial with 2025 trial dates recorded 21 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median confinement of 6 months; a quarter received 10.8 months or more. Federal court sentenced 555 people under guideline §2A2.2 in fiscal year 2025, and the median prison term was 41 months. T
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In brief: Courts-martial with 2025 trial dates recorded 21 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median confinement of 6 months; a quarter received 10.8 months or more. Federal court sentenced 555 people under guideline §2A2.2 in fiscal year 2025, and the median prison term was 41 months. The federal median was higher, and the comparison rests on a small military count.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 555 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Court-Martial Confinement in 2025
20 of the 21 convictions with a sentence recorded (95%) included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 6 months.
A quarter of the sentences were 10.8 months or more. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal.
The Army had 11 of the convictions, the Marine Corps 7, the Air Force 2, and the Navy 1.
Federal Prison Terms in Fiscal Year 2025
531 of the 555 people sentenced (96%) received a prison term, and 18 (3%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 41 months (3.4 years). A quarter of those sent to prison received 61 months or more, and a quarter received 24 months or less. These are terms imposed, not time served.
| Courts-martial, 2025 | Federal court, FY2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 21 | 555 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 95% | 96% |
| Median confinement or prison | 6 months | 41 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 10.8 months | 61 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 13 of 19 with a plea recorded (68%) | 91% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 24 of 542 with the information (4%) |
Mostly Bad-Conduct Discharges
All 21 people convicted were enlisted. 15 received a punitive discharge (71%). 14 of those were bad-conduct discharges and 1 was a dishonorable discharge.
A bad-conduct discharge is the less severe of the 2 punitive discharges for enlisted members. 11 of the 21 convictions (52%) were at a general court-martial.
Federal court does not discharge anyone. It ordered supervised release after prison for 506 people (91%), and the median term was 36 months.
Pleas and Trials in Each System
A plea was recorded for 19 court-martial convictions, and 13 (68%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement was 7.7 months after a guilty plea (13 cases with confinement) and 5 months after a contested case ending in conviction (5 cases with confinement).
In federal court, 503 of 555 (91%) pleaded guilty, and 52 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 37 months after a guilty plea and 58.5 months after a trial.
84% of federal guilty pleas had a written plea agreement. 15% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range, Minimums, and Prior Record
For all 555 federal cases, 43% of sentences (239) were within the guideline range and 12% (68) were above it. 18% (101) were below the range at the government's request, and 26% (147) were below it without one.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 24 people (4%). A fine was ordered for 34 (6%) and restitution for 135 (24%).
46% were in criminal history category I, and 8% were in category VI. Court-martial records include no criminal history, so this part has no military match.
The Wider 2016 to 2025 Record
From 2016 to 2025, the court-martial records list 214 convictions for aggravated assault, with a median confinement of 11.3 months. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, federal court sentenced 4,493 people, with a median prison term of 40 months. Each federal fiscal year appears in the table.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 365 | 36.9 months | 95% |
| 2017 | 383 | 37 months | 96% |
| 2018 | 398 | 39.5 months | 94% |
| 2019 | 413 | 40 months | 94% |
| 2020 | 341 | 40 months | 96% |
| 2021 | 406 | 37 months | 95% |
| 2022 | 524 | 41 months | 94% |
| 2023 | 525 | 43 months | 93% |
| 2024 | 583 | 40 months | 91% |
| 2025 | 555 | 41 months | 91% |
Gaps in the Data
Federal fiscal year 2025 ran from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. The court-martial year is calendar year 2025 by trial date, so the periods overlap only in part.
The records do not show the facts of any assault, the harm involved, or how prosecutors in each system chose their charges. Differences in medians cannot be traced to any single cause from this data.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with a trial date in 2025 ending in a conviction for aggravated assault (Article 128) (21). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal year 2025 under guideline §2A2.2 (aggravated assault) (555), U.S. Sentencing Commission.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
Who is in each set of numbers. The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.
Different cases reach each system. Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts.
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Military confinement credit and parole. For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.
Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not. A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
Offense categories do not line up exactly. Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (overview)
- Aggravated Assault Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial (previous or next year)
- Aggravated Assault Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
- Army Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- Article 128 Sentences in the Army: Confinement and Discharges, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 128 Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- When Army Accused Plead Guilty to Assault (court-martial data)
- Fewer or More? Assault Charges at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Assault Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 128 in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Assault Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 128 UCMJ: Assault, Aggravated Assault, and Strangulation (law firm reference page)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
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.