Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington
Most wrongful drug use convictions at Bremerton, Washington came from guilty pleas: 13 of the 15 with a plea recorded (87%). In federal court across the whole Western District of Washington, 46 of 49 people sentenced for simple possession (94%) pleaded guilty, and the 3 convicted at trial had a medi
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In brief: Most wrongful drug use convictions at Bremerton, Washington came from guilty pleas: 13 of the 15 with a plea recorded (87%). In federal court across the whole Western District of Washington, 46 of 49 people sentenced for simple possession (94%) pleaded guilty, and the 3 convicted at trial had a median prison term of 72 months. The federal figures cover the entire district, not the installation, and most of those defendants were not service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 49 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.
Guilty Pleas Were the Usual Path in Both Courts
At Bremerton, a plea was recorded for all 15 convictions. Of those, 13 (87%) were guilty pleas, and the rest were contested cases that ended in conviction.
In the Western District of Washington, 46 of the 49 people (94%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. Almost every guilty plea in the district came with a written plea agreement: 98%, with 2% straight pleas and no agreement.
Federal sentences after a trial were much longer in this small group. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 0.1 months. After a trial it was 72 months, based on 3 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. A group of 3 is too small to show a pattern.
Whose Cases Are Counted
The court-martial side counts convictions for wrongful drug use (Article 112a) where the records list the trial location as "Bremerton" or "Bremerton, Washington", with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Of the 15 convictions, 12 were Navy cases and 3 were Marine Corps cases.
The federal side counts people sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844, simple possession, the nearest federal charge to drug use. They were sentenced anywhere in the Western District of Washington in fiscal years 2016 to 2023. A federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, while the court-martial years follow the trial date.
How Often Did Each Court Order Confinement?
At Bremerton, 11 of the 15 convictions with a sentence recorded (73%) included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 1.5 months, and a quarter received 5.5 months or more.
In the district, 20 of the 49 people (41%) received a prison term. The other 29 (59%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, the median term was 0.2 months. A quarter received 20.1 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months.
The Bremerton medians by period rest on few cases. For trials in 2016 to 2019, the median confinement was 7.5 months, based on 2 cases. For trials in 2020 to 2025, it was 1.5 months, based on 9 cases.
| Courts-martial at Bremerton | Federal court, Western District of Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 15 | 49 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 73% | 41% |
| Median confinement or prison | 1.5 months | 0.2 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 5.5 months | 20.1 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 13 of 15 with a plea recorded (87%) | 94% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 4 of 48 with the information (8%) |
Discharges and Court Level at Bremerton
All 15 people convicted were enlisted members. Of them, 6 received a punitive discharge (40%): 1 dishonorable discharge and 5 bad-conduct discharges.
Only 2 of the 15 convictions (13%) were at a general court-martial. The others were tried at lower levels of court-martial.
Federal Guideline Range, Supervision, and Fines
The position of the sentence against the guideline range was recorded for 48 people. Of those, 75% (36) were within the range. Another 17% (8) were below it at the government's request, 6% (3) were below it without a government request, and 2% (1) were above it.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 4 people (8%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 10 (20%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 24 (49%), and no one was ordered to pay restitution.
In this group, 60% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 6% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records do not record criminal history.
Totals Across All Courts
For context, all courts-martial for this offense in the data produced 1,071 convictions, with a median confinement of 3 months. Across all federal districts, 6,268 people were sentenced for simple possession, with a median prison term of 6 months.
Gaps in the Records
Court-martial sentences are counted as adjudged, before clemency or appeal, and federal terms are as imposed rather than served. The records give no case facts and no drug type. They cannot show whether any Bremerton case would have reached the district court, or what it would have received there.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Bremerton, Washington, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (15). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Washington (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Washington West") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (49). 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.
Drug use has no federal counterpart. Federal law does not make drug use a crime. A positive drug test is not a federal offense; a civilian can be charged only with possessing the drug. Bringing drugs onto a military installation is also a military-only offense. For these, the nearest federal charge is simple possession, and the post says that the match is not exact.
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)
- Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare (overview)
- Federal Sentences in the Western District of Washington, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (same installation)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Barksdale AFB vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Louisiana (other installations)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Beale AFB vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of California (other installations)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (other installations)
- Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Army Drug Conviction? (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 112a Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- Guilty Pleas in Army Drug Cases: How Often, and What Came Next (court-martial data)
- Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Air Force? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 112a in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps? (court-martial data)
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Drug Charge: How Contested Cases Ended (court-martial data)
- When Navy-Marine Corps Accused Plead Guilty to Drug (court-martial data)
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 112a UCMJ Drug Offenses and Positive Urinalysis (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.