Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Fort Hood vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas
Army courts-martial at Fort Hood ended in 17 convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 13 months. Federal court in the Western District of Texas sentenced 388 people for this offense in fiscal years 20
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In brief: Army courts-martial at Fort Hood ended in 17 convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 13 months. Federal court in the Western District of Texas sentenced 388 people for this offense in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 97 months. The federal figures describe the whole district; most of those defendants were not in the military.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 388 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 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.
Not Every Fort Hood Conviction Included Confinement
Of the 17 Fort Hood convictions with a sentence recorded, 15 (88%) included confinement. In the Western District of Texas, 380 of 388 people (98%) received a prison term, and 8 (2%) received probation only.
Among those confined at Fort Hood, the median was 13 months. A quarter received 22 months or more. That median was lower than the 22.5 months recorded for all 491 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
| Courts-martial at Fort Hood | Federal court, Western District of Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 17 | 388 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 88% | 98% |
| Median confinement or prison | 13 months | 97 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 22 months | 180 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 15 of 17 with a plea recorded (88%) | 97% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 207 of 386 with the information (54%) |
How the Records Were Matched
The court-martial records list the trial location as "Fort Hood". All 17 convictions were Army cases. With 17 cases, the base figures describe a small group.
Fort Hood is in the Western District of Texas, and the federal count includes every person sentenced under guideline §2G2.2 in that district. Those are not Fort Hood cases. The data does not suggest that the Fort Hood cases would have been prosecuted in the district court.
Plea, Trial, and Sentence Length
At Fort Hood, 15 of the 17 convictions with a plea recorded (88%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 12 months, across 13 cases with confinement. The 2 contested cases ending in conviction had a median of 78 months. That figure comes from only 2 sentences.
In the district, 375 of 388 people (97%) pleaded guilty, and 13 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 97 months after a guilty plea and 240 months after a trial. One person in the district received a life sentence.
Among federal guilty pleas, 78% had a written plea agreement. The other 22% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Discharge and Court Level at Fort Hood
All 16 enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge. The total included 6 dishonorable discharges and 10 bad-conduct discharges. The single officer convicted was dismissed, which is the officer form of a punitive discharge.
Of the 17 convictions, 16 (94%) were at a general court-martial, the level that handles the most serious charges.
Federal Terms Against the Guidelines
The district median of 97 months was higher than the 90-month median for all 13,646 people sentenced in federal court nationwide for this offense. A quarter of district defendants received 180 months or more, and a quarter received 60 months or less.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 207 people (54%). Sentences within the guideline range made up 45% (174). Below the range without a government request made up 39% (151), below the range at the government's request 10% (38), and above the range 6% (25).
After prison, 380 people (98%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median of 120 months. Supervised release for life applied to 47 (12%). Fines were ordered for 38 people (10%) and restitution for 227 (59%).
Gaps in the Records
Military confinement here means the adjudged sentence, before clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are the terms imposed and may differ from time served. The court-martial years are calendar years by trial date, and the federal years run October 1 to September 30.
Federal records put 86% of district defendants in criminal history category I. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. Neither source explains the reasons for individual sentences.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Fort Hood, Texas, ending in a conviction for child pornography (images of child exploitation): possession, receipt, or distribution (17). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas West") under primary sentencing guideline §2G2.2 (possessing, receiving, or distributing child pornography; 18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A) (388). The installation is matched to the federal district for the county where it sits.
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.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
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)
- Child Pornography Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Fort Hood vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Fort Hood vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas (same installation)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (other installations)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (other installations)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California (other installations)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (other installations)
- Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Child Pornography: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Fewer or More? General Article Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Army General Article Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Fighting an Army General Article Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Army General Article Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 134 Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force General Article Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Air Force General Article Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps General Article Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 134, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps General Article Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 134 Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- When Navy-Marine Corps Accused Plead Guilty to General Article (court-martial data)
- Article 134 (General Article): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 134 UCMJ: The General Article (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.