Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam vs. Federal Court in the District of Hawaii
Courts-martial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam produced 13 convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2016 to 2024, from 3 services, and the median adjudged confinement was 18 months. In the District of Hawaii, 28 people were sentenced in federal court f
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In brief: Courts-martial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam produced 13 convictions for child pornography (images of child exploitation) with trial dates from 2016 to 2024, from 3 services, and the median adjudged confinement was 18 months. In the District of Hawaii, 28 people were sentenced in federal court for this offense in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, with a median prison term of 64.5 months. Both counts are small, and the federal count covers the entire District of Hawaii, where most defendants were not service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 28 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.
Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Cases at One Location
The 13 convictions came from the Navy (8), the Air Force (3), and the Marine Corps (2). The records list the trial location as "JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii", "Pearl Harbor", or "Pearl Harbor, Hawaii".
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is in the federal District of Hawaii. The 28 federal sentences are cases from that district, not from the base. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and the data does not show that any of these cases would have gone to the district court.
Sentences Adjudged at the Joint Base
All 13 convictions with a sentence recorded included confinement. The median was 18 months. A quarter received 39 months or more. The median was lower than the 22.5 months for all 491 court-martial convictions for this offense in the data.
Of the 13 enlisted members convicted, 12 (92%) received a punitive discharge: 7 dishonorable discharges and 5 bad-conduct discharges. A general court-martial heard 11 of the 13 cases (85%).
Sentences differed by period, but the counts are small. For trials in 2016 to 2019, the median confinement was 95.9 months across 3 cases. For trials in 2020 to 2025, it was 16 months across 10 cases. The records cannot show why.
| Courts-martial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam | Federal court, District of Hawaii | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 13 | 28 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 100% | 100% |
| Median confinement or prison | 18 months | 64.5 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 39 months | 87.8 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 10 of 12 with a plea recorded (83%) | 96% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 12 of 28 with the information (43%) |
Did Most Cases End in a Guilty Plea?
Yes, on both sides. At the joint base, 10 of the 12 convictions with a plea recorded (83%) were guilty pleas, with a median confinement of 16 months. The 2 contested cases ending in conviction had a median of 57 months.
In the District of Hawaii, 27 of 28 people (96%) pleaded guilty. Of those pleas, 81% had a written plea agreement and 19% were straight pleas. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 63 months. The 1 person convicted at trial received 78 months.
Federal Sentencing in Hawaii
Every one of the 28 federal defendants received a prison term. A quarter received 87.8 months or more, and a quarter received 52 months or less. The district median of 64.5 months, or 5.4 years, was lower than the 90-month median for all 13,646 people sentenced across federal districts.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 people (43%). Most sentences were below the guideline range without a government request: 64%, or 18 people. The rest were below the range at the government's request (18%, or 5), within the range (14%, or 4), or above it (4%, or 1).
Supervised release was ordered for 27 people (96%), with a median term of 120 months, and 4 (14%) received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 11 (39%) and a fine for 3 (11%).
Cautions
With 28 federal cases and 13 courts-martial, a few sentences can change either median. Court-martial confinement is adjudged confinement, before clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are imposed terms, not time served.
Court-martial counts use calendar years by trial date, and federal counts use fiscal years from October 1 to September 30. In the federal data, 93% of Hawaii defendants were in criminal history category I and 0% in category VI. Court-martial records have no criminal history field to compare.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, ending in a conviction for child pornography (images of child exploitation): possession, receipt, or distribution (13). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the District of Hawaii (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Hawaii") under primary sentencing guideline §2G2.2 (possessing, receiving, or distributing child pornography; 18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A) (28). 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 District of Hawaii, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam vs. Federal Court in the District of Hawaii (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.