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# Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Travis AFB vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of California
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-travis-afb-vs-eastern-district-of-california/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:10:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:10:50.000Z
- Description: Courts-martial at Travis AFB, California produced 20 convictions for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, and 19 of them (95%) included confinement, with a median of 1.8 months. The federal Eastern District of California sentenced 14 people under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), and only 3 of the
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-no-crime-of-drug-use-article-112a/) › Drug Use: Travis AFB

**In brief:** Courts-martial at Travis AFB, California produced 20 convictions for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, and 19 of them (95%) included confinement, with a median of 1.8 months. The federal Eastern District of California sentenced 14 people under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), and only 3 of them (21%) received a prison term. Both counts are small, and they cover different cases and different years.

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 14 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](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/).

## Confinement at Travis AFB

Almost every Travis AFB conviction with a sentence recorded included confinement: 19 of 20 (95%). The median adjudged confinement was 1.8 months. A quarter of the convictions carried 4.4 months or more.

These figures come from 20 Air Force cases where the records list the trial location as "Travis AFB, California." Their trial dates run from 2016 to 2025\. Court-martial sentences are counted as adjudged at trial, before any clemency or appeal.

## Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of California

In the district, 11 of the 14 people sentenced (79%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement. The other 3 (21%) received a prison term.

For those 3, the median prison term was 12 months. A quarter received 31 months or more, and a quarter received 6 months or less. A median drawn from 3 terms depends on every one of them.

A fine was ordered for 11 people (79%), and restitution for 3 (21%). 3 (21%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 12 months. Federal prison terms are the terms imposed, not time served.

|                                    | Courts-martial at Travis AFB       | Federal court, Eastern District of California |
| ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Convictions or people sentenced    | 20                                 | 14                                            |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 95%                                | 21%                                           |
| Median confinement or prison       | 1.8 months                         | 12 months                                     |
| A quarter received this or more    | 4.4 months                         | 31 months                                     |
| Pleaded guilty                     | 7 of 10 with a plea recorded (70%) | 100%                                          |
| Mandatory minimum applied          | See the caveats                    | 2 of 11 with the information (18%)            |

## Why These Numbers Are Not a Direct Match

Travis AFB lies in the federal Eastern District of California, matched by the county where the installation sits. The 14 federal cases are from the whole district, not from the base, and most did not involve service members.

The years also differ. The fact sheet lists the federal cases as sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2020, while the court-martial trials run through 2025\. A federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, and court-martial years follow the trial date.

The charges are related but not the same. Federal law has no wrongful use offense like Article 112a, and simple possession is the closest federal charge.

## Guilty Pleas and Contested Cases

All 14 federal defendants pleaded guilty (100%), and 0 were convicted after a trial. Of those guilty pleas, 64% had a written plea agreement and 36% were straight pleas with no agreement.

At Travis AFB, a plea was recorded for 10 convictions. 7 of the 10 (70%) were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 1.6 months, from 7 cases with confinement.

Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median confinement of 1 month, from 3 cases with confinement. That was lower than the guilty plea median, but 3 cases are too few to support any general statement.

## Discharges and Court Level

Of the 19 enlisted members convicted at Travis AFB, 8 (42%) received a punitive discharge. All 8 were bad-conduct discharges, and none was a dishonorable discharge. The 1 officer convicted received a dismissal.

3 of the 20 convictions (15%) were at a general court-martial. The rest were at lower levels of court-martial.

## Guidelines and Criminal History in the District

Guideline information was available for 10 of the federal sentences. 8 (80%) were within the guideline range, and 2 (20%) were below it at the government's request. None was below the range without a government request, and none was above it.

In the district, 60% of those sentenced were in category I, the lowest category, and 10% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.

## Travis AFB Over Time and Wider Totals

Travis AFB trials from 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 2.4 months, across 10 cases with confinement. Trials from 2020 to 2025 had a median of 1.6 months, across 9 cases. These groups are small, and the difference between them is not a trend.

All courts-martial for this offense in the data had 1,071 convictions with a median confinement of 3 months, higher than the Travis AFB median. All federal districts together sentenced 6,268 people, with a median prison term of 6 months.

## Limits of the Comparison

The records do not identify the drug, the amount, or what happened in any case. They cannot show how a Travis AFB case would have gone in the district court. With 20 and 14 cases, a single sentence can shift several of these figures.

### How We Counted

Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Travis AFB, California, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (20). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Eastern District of California (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "California East") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (14). 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](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)
- [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/) (overview)
- [Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of California, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-eastern-district-of-california/) (the federal district)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Barksdale AFB vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Louisiana](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-barksdale-afb-vs-western-district-of-louisiana/) (other installations)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Beale AFB vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-beale-afb-vs-eastern-district-of-california/) (other installations)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Bremerton vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Washington](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-bremerton-vs-western-district-of-washington/) (other installations)
- [Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-camp-lejeune-vs-eastern-district-of-north-carolina/) (other installations)
- [Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-vs-air-force/)
- [Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-vs-army/)
- [Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-vs-marine-corps/)
- [Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trend-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [What Sentence Follows an Army Drug Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-sent-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Often Are Contested Army Article 112a Cases Acquitted?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-acq-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Guilty Pleas in Army Drug Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-plea-2021-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-trend-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Air Force?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-sent-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Pleading Guilty to Article 112a in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-article-112a-plea-2016-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Drug Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [When Navy-Marine Corps Accused Plead Guilty to Drug](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-112a-plea-2017-2025/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (court-martial data)
- [Article 112a UCMJ Drug Offenses and Positive Urinalysis](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?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.