Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Shaw AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of South Carolina
At Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 18 courts-martial ended in a conviction for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, and the median adjudged confinement was 3 months. In the federal District of South Carolina, 18 people were sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), and the median prison term for
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In brief: At Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 18 courts-martial ended in a conviction for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, and the median adjudged confinement was 3 months. In the federal District of South Carolina, 18 people were sentenced under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), and the median prison term for those sent to prison was 16.6 months. The counts match, but the groups come from different sets of cases.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 18 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.
Same Count, Different Sentence Lengths
Confinement or prison followed most convictions on both sides. At Shaw AFB, 15 of the 18 convictions with a sentence recorded (83%) included confinement. In the District of South Carolina, 16 of the 18 people sentenced (89%) received a prison term, and 2 (11%) received probation only.
Length is where the groups differed. The median adjudged confinement at Shaw AFB was 3 months, and a quarter of the convictions carried 4.7 months or more. Among the federal defendants sent to prison, the median term was 16.6 months, and a quarter received 81.8 months or more.
The federal terms covered a wide range, and 1 person received a life sentence. A median is the middle value, so one very long term moves it less than it would move an average.
| Courts-martial at Shaw AFB | Federal court, District of South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 18 | 18 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 83% | 89% |
| Median confinement or prison | 3 months | 16.6 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 4.7 months | 81.8 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 8 of 10 with a plea recorded (80%) | 83% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 9 of 18 with the information (50%) |
Where the Federal Cases Come From
Shaw AFB is in the federal District of South Carolina. The 18 federal sentences are cases from the whole district, not from the installation, and most did not involve service members. The installation was matched to the district by the county where it sits.
On the military side, the records list the trial location as "Shaw AFB, South Carolina." All 18 convictions were Air Force cases, with trial dates from 2018 to 2025. The court-martial years follow the trial date.
The federal cases were sentenced in fiscal years 2017 to 2025. A federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. Wrongful drug use has no exact federal match, so simple possession serves as the nearest federal charge.
Pleas and Trials in Each System
In the district, 15 of the 18 people (83%) pleaded guilty, and 3 were convicted after a trial. Among the guilty pleas, 93% had a written plea agreement and 7% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 9 months. After a trial it was 470 months, based on 3 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. A group of 3 is too small to describe a pattern.
At Shaw AFB, a plea was recorded for 10 of the convictions, and 8 of those (80%) were guilty pleas. Median confinement after a guilty plea was 2.1 months across 8 cases with confinement. The single contested case that ended in conviction with confinement carried 8.9 months.
Federal Sentencing Details
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 9 of the 18 federal defendants (50%). The court-martial records have no comparable field, which the caveats address.
All 18 federal sentences had guideline information. 15 (83%) were within the guideline range, 2 (11%) were above it, and 1 (6%) was below it without a government request. None was below the range at the government's request.
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 15 people (83%), with a median term of 12 months. A fine was ordered for 4 (22%), and restitution for 0.
On criminal history, 28% were in category I, the lowest, and 22% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Discharges, Officers, and Court Level at Shaw AFB
Of the 17 enlisted members convicted at Shaw AFB, 5 (29%) received a punitive discharge. All 5 were bad-conduct discharges, and there were 0 dishonorable discharges. The 1 officer convicted was dismissed, which is the punitive separation for officers.
2 of the 18 convictions (11%) were at a general court-martial, the most serious level of court-martial. Federal court has no sentence that matches a punitive discharge.
Shaw AFB trials from 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 2.5 months, across 4 cases with confinement. Trials from 2020 to 2025 had a median of 3 months, across 11 cases. Groups this small do not show a trend.
How the Wider Totals Compare
Across all courts-martial for this offense in the data, 1,071 convictions had a median confinement of 3 months, the same as at Shaw AFB. Across all federal districts, 6,268 people were sentenced for simple possession, with a median prison term of 6 months.
The District of South Carolina median of 16.6 months was higher than that all-district figure. The sheet does not break the district's cases down further, so this post cannot say which cases produced the longer terms.
What the Records Cannot Show
Court-martial sentences here are as adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal. Federal terms are the terms imposed, not time served.
Neither set of records describes the drug, the amount, or the conduct in a case. They cannot show how a Shaw AFB case would have been handled in the district court. With 18 cases on each side, a few sentences can change most of these figures.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Shaw AFB, South Carolina, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (18). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the District of South Carolina (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Carolina") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (18). 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 South Carolina, 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.