Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina produced 40 convictions for wrongful drug use, with a median adjudged confinement of 7 months, and 36 of the 38 enlisted members convicted (95%) received a punitive discharge. In federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 208 people were
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In brief: Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina produced 40 convictions for wrongful drug use, with a median adjudged confinement of 7 months, and 36 of the 38 enlisted members convicted (95%) received a punitive discharge. In federal court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 208 people were sentenced for simple possession; 40 of them (19%) received a prison term, and the median term among those was 0.2 months. The federal group comes from the whole district, and most of those people were not service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 208 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.
Punitive Discharges and Confinement at Camp Lejeune
Nearly every Camp Lejeune conviction carried confinement. Of the 40 convictions with a sentence recorded, 39 (98%) included it. The median was 7 months, and a quarter of those convicted received 12.5 months or more.
Punitive discharges were common. Of the 38 enlisted members convicted, 36 received one (95%): 4 dishonorable discharges and 32 bad-conduct discharges. The 1 officer convicted was dismissed.
12 of the 40 convictions (30%) were at a general court-martial. By service, 39 were Marine Corps cases and 1 was a Navy case.
How Each Side Was Selected
The court-martial cases are those where the records list the trial location as "Camp Lejeune", "Camp Lejeune, North Carolina", or "Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune". The convictions had trial dates from 2017 to 2025.
The federal cases are not from the base. They include everyone sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844 anywhere in the Eastern District of North Carolina in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Simple possession is used because it is the nearest federal charge to Article 112a drug use. Federal fiscal years start October 1 and end September 30, and court-martial years follow the trial date.
Federal Sentences in the District
Probation only went to 166 of the 208 people (80%), with no prison or other confinement. A prison term went to 40 (19%).
Prison terms in the district were short. Among those sent to prison, the median was 0.2 months. A quarter received 3 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months.
Fines were ordered for 169 people (81%). Restitution was ordered for 1 (less than 1%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 7 (3%), with a median term of 36 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 people.
| Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune | Federal court, Eastern District of North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 40 | 208 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 98% | 19% |
| Median confinement or prison | 7 months | 0.2 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 12.5 months | 3 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 29 of 37 with a plea recorded (78%) | more than 99% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 2 of 41 with the information (5%) |
Pleas and Contested Cases
At Camp Lejeune, 29 of the 37 convictions with a plea recorded (78%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 5.9 months (28 cases with confinement). Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median of 10 months (8 cases).
In the district, 207 of 208 people (more than 99%) pleaded guilty, and 1 was convicted after a trial. That person's prison term was 132 months, while the median after a guilty plea was 0.2 months. A single trial sentence cannot show a pattern.
Most federal guilty pleas here had no written agreement. Only 3% had a written plea agreement, and 85% were straight pleas.
Earlier and Later Trials at the Base
Most of the Camp Lejeune convictions with confinement came from 2020 onward. For trials in 2020 to 2025, the median was 7 months, across 34 cases. For trials in 2016 to 2019, it was 5.9 months, across 5 cases. The earlier group is small.
Guideline Range and Criminal History
The position of the sentence against the guideline range was recorded for 108 people. Of those, 97% (105) were within the range, and 3% (3) were below it without a government request. None was below it at the government's request or above it.
In this group, 81% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 2% were in category VI, the highest. Courts-martial do not record criminal history.
Wider Benchmarks
All courts-martial for this offense in the data produced 1,071 convictions, with a median confinement of 3 months. The Camp Lejeune median of 7 months was higher. All federal districts sentenced 6,268 people for simple possession, with a median prison term of 6 months.
What the Numbers Leave Out
Court-martial sentences are as adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served. Neither source records the drug or the facts behind a conviction, and neither can show how a Camp Lejeune case would have been sentenced in the district court.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (40). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Eastern District of North Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "N Carolina East") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (208). 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 Eastern District of North Carolina, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- Child Pornography: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Drug Possession: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Drug Distribution: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (same installation)
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina (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 Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington (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.