> ## 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. # Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-acquittal-rate-vs-army/ - Published: 2026-11-03T01:38:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:38:46.000Z - Description: In the Army, 25 of 78 contested courts-martial for sexual offenses against a child that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (32%), and 31 (40%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 6 of 245 trials ended in an acquittal (2%). The groups are counted differently, so the rates are not a li - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sexual-abuse-enticement-vs-article-120b/) › Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Army Acquittals **In brief:** In the Army, 25 of 78 contested courts-martial for sexual offenses against a child that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (32%), and 31 (40%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 6 of 245 trials ended in an acquittal (2%). The groups are counted differently, so the rates are not a like-for-like comparison. Updated November 2, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 3,131 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## What Share of Contested Army Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal? The Army records cover contested cases with trial dates from 2021 to 2025\. 78 reached a verdict. 25 (32%) ended in a full acquittal, meaning the accused was acquitted of all charges. 31 (40%) were partial acquittals: not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. Federal case data does not report partial acquittals separately. ## Did the Army Share Change From Year to Year? The yearly counts are small. The Army had 4 full acquittals in 18 contested cases in 2021 and 7 of 15 in 2022\. In 2023 it was 5 of 15, in 2024 it was 5 of 21, and in 2025 it was 4 of 9. With so few verdicts in each year, a change of a single case moves the percentage a lot. The table does not show a steady direction. | Year | Army: full acquittals of contested cases | | ---- | ---------------------------------------- | | 2021 | 4 of 18 | | 2022 | 7 of 15 | | 2023 | 5 of 15 | | 2024 | 5 of 21 | | 2025 | 4 of 9 | ## Who Decided Guilt in Those Army Cases? A judge alone decided 34 cases, and 7 ended in a full acquittal (21%). Members decided 42 cases, and 16 ended in a full acquittal (38%). Within the members group, enlisted members decided 35 cases with 16 full acquittals (46%). Officer members decided 7 cases with 0 full acquittals. 2 cases listed no forum, and both ended in a full acquittal. These subgroups overlap and several are small, so each percentage should be read with caution. ## How Often Did Federal Trials End in Acquittal? The Federal Judicial Center counted 3,131 defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 2422 or 2423, the enticement and travel statutes, whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of those, 2,739 (87%) pleaded guilty, 147 (5%) had their cases dismissed, and 245 (8%) went to trial. Of the 245 trials, 6 ended in an acquittal (2%). Jury trials numbered 227, with 6 acquittals (3%). Bench trials, decided by a judge, numbered 18, with 0 acquittals. 2,978 of the 3,131 defendants (95%) were convicted, by plea or at trial. ## Why Not Simply Compare 32% With 2%? The Army figure counts only contested cases that reached a verdict. The federal figure counts trials from a group that also includes pleas and dismissals. A contested court-martial is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. A federal trial is a case that went to trial, whatever the plea to individual counts. The federal data also include defendants who were charged under only the enticement and travel statutes, while the Army records cover Article 120b. ## What Cannot the Records Tell a Reader? The records do not show why a case ended in an acquittal or what evidence the decision-maker heard. They also do not show how many cases the Army or federal prosecutors chose not to bring. A federal felony needs a grand jury indictment. A court-martial has no grand jury, so cases may reach a verdict through different screening. The comparison describes counts in separate record sets and does not measure the risk to any accused person. ### How We Counted Army courts-martial charging sexual offenses against a child (Article 120b; federal child-victim sexual abuse, enticement, and travel offenses) with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 that were contested and reached a verdict (78). Federal: defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 2422 or 2423 (enticement and travel) whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (3,131), Federal Judicial Center. 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. **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. **How "plea" and "trial" are counted.** In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Federal Cases vs. Article 120b Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sexual-abuse-enticement-vs-article-120b/) (overview) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-acquittal-rate-vs-marine-corps/) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-acquittal-rate-vs-navy/) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [Guilty Pleas in Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-guilty-plea-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-sex-offenses-junior-enlisted-vs-federal-court/) - [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/) (related comparison) - [Guilty Pleas in Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, Year by Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-guilty-plea-rates-vs-courts-martial/) (related comparison) - [Child Pornography Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-child-pornography-sentences-vs-courts-martial/) (related comparison) - [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) (related comparison) - [Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-importation-vs-article-112a/) (related comparison) - [Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-adult-vs-article-120/) (related comparison) - [Theft and Fraud by Dollar Loss: Federal Sentences vs. Article 121 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-theft-fraud-dollar-loss-vs-article-121/) (related comparison) - [Fewer or More? Child Sexual Abuse Charges at Army Courts-Martial, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [How Much Confinement for an Article 120b Conviction in the Army?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-sent-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [How Often Are Contested Army Article 120b Cases Acquitted?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Pleading Guilty to Article 120b in the Army: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120b-plea-2021-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 120b (Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120b-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Article 120b UCMJ: Rape and Sexual Assault of a Child](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [Forum Selection](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/forum-selection/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (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](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.