Drug Use: Courts-Martial at McConnell AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Kansas
In the District of Kansas, 39 of the 58 people sentenced for simple possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (67%) received probation only, and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 2 months. At McConnell AFB, 30 of the 31 Article 112a drug-use convictions with a sentence recorded (97%)
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In brief: In the District of Kansas, 39 of the 58 people sentenced for simple possession in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (67%) received probation only, and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 2 months. At McConnell AFB, 30 of the 31 Article 112a drug-use convictions with a sentence recorded (97%) included confinement, with a median of 2.6 months. The federal cases come from all of Kansas and mostly did not involve service members.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 58 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.
Probation Was the Usual Federal Sentence in Kansas
The U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 58 people sentenced in the District of Kansas under 21 U.S.C. 844, simple possession. This is the federal charge the data treats as nearest to wrongful drug use under Article 112a.
Only 19 of the 58 (33%) received a prison term. The other 39 (67%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 2 months. A quarter received 12 months or more, and a quarter received 0 months or less.
For all federal districts combined, 6,268 people were sentenced for simple possession, and the median prison term was 6 months. The Kansas median of 2 months was lower.
Confinement Was the Usual Result at McConnell AFB
The records list the trial location as "McConnell AFB, Kansas." There were 31 convictions for wrongful drug use there, all in Air Force cases, with trial dates from 2016 to 2025.
Confinement was part of the sentence in 30 of the 31 convictions with a sentence recorded. The median adjudged confinement was 2.6 months, and a quarter received 5.7 months or more. For all courts-martial for this offense in the data, the median was 3 months across 1,071 convictions.
These figures are not measured the same way. A court-martial sentence is counted as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. A federal prison term is the term imposed, not the time served.
| Courts-martial at McConnell AFB | Federal court, District of Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 31 | 58 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 97% | 33% |
| Median confinement or prison | 2.6 months | 2 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 5.7 months | 12 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 11 of 14 with a plea recorded (79%) | 100% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 3 of 38 with the information (8%) |
Is the Federal Group a Fair Match for the Base?
Not directly. McConnell AFB is in the District of Kansas, but the federal cases in this post are from the whole district. Most of the people sentenced were not service members. The records do not suggest that cases from the base would have gone to the district court.
The offenses also differ. Article 112a covers using a controlled substance, while 21 U.S.C. 844 covers possessing one. Court-martial counts follow trial dates, and federal counts follow fiscal years that run from October 1 to September 30.
Pleas on Each Side
Every one of the 58 federal defendants pleaded guilty (100%), and 0 were convicted after a trial. Among those guilty pleas, 43% had a written plea agreement and 45% were straight pleas with no agreement.
At McConnell AFB, a plea was recorded for 14 convictions. Of these, 11 (79%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 2 months, based on 11 cases with confinement. In contested cases ending in conviction, the median was 3.2 months, based on only 2 cases.
Other Parts of the Sentence
Of the 30 enlisted members convicted at McConnell AFB, 12 (40%) received a punitive discharge: 1 dishonorable discharge and 11 bad-conduct discharges. 1 officer was convicted, and 0 officers were dismissed. 4 of the 31 convictions (13%) were at a general court-martial.
In federal court, a fine was ordered for 34 people (59%), and restitution for 1 (2%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 12 (21%), with a median term of 12 months. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3 people (8%).
Of the 35 federal cases with guideline information, 89% (31) were sentenced within the recommended guideline range and 11% (4) were sentenced above it. None were below the range. Criminal history was recorded only on the federal side: 47% were in category I, the lowest, and 12% in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Earlier and Later Courts-Martial
The median confinement at McConnell AFB was 3.3 months for trials in 2016 to 2019, based on 17 cases with confinement. For trials in 2020 to 2025, it was 2 months, based on 13 cases. The records do not show why the median differed between the periods.
What the Records Leave Out
The data has no information on the drug involved, the amount, or the facts behind any case. It cannot show how a McConnell AFB case would have been sentenced in federal court, or how a Kansas federal case would have fared at a court-martial.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is McConnell AFB, Kansas, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (31). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the District of Kansas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Kansas") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (58). 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 District of Kansas, FY2016–2025 (the federal district)
- 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: 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.