Drug Use: Courts-Martial at Whiteman AFB vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Missouri
In the federal Western District of Missouri, the median prison term for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 was 60 months (5 years) for those sent to prison, and 37 of the 40 people sentenced (93%) received a prison term. At Whiteman AFB, Missouri, 13 courts-martial ended in a conviction for wrong
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In brief: In the federal Western District of Missouri, the median prison term for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 was 60 months (5 years) for those sent to prison, and 37 of the 40 people sentenced (93%) received a prison term. At Whiteman AFB, Missouri, 13 courts-martial ended in a conviction for wrongful drug use under Article 112a, with a median adjudged confinement of 5.2 months. The district figure was also higher than the all-district median of 6 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 40 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.
Long Federal Terms in This District
Of the 40 people sentenced in the district, 37 (93%) went to prison and 3 (8%) received probation only. Among those sent to prison, a quarter received 78 months or more, and a quarter received 36 months or less.
Across all federal districts, 6,268 people were sentenced for simple possession, and the median prison term was 6 months. The Western District of Missouri median of 60 months was higher than that. The sheet does not describe the facts of these cases, so this post cannot say what produced the longer terms.
In the district, 38% of those sentenced were in category VI, the highest category, and 11% were in category I, the lowest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
| Courts-martial at Whiteman AFB | Federal court, Western District of Missouri | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 13 | 40 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 92% | 93% |
| Median confinement or prison | 5.2 months | 60 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 6.7 months | 78 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 2 of 7 with a plea recorded (2 of 7) | 88% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 12 of 39 with the information (31%) |
The Whiteman AFB Convictions
12 of the 13 Whiteman AFB convictions with a sentence recorded (92%) included confinement. The median adjudged confinement was 5.2 months, and a quarter of the convictions carried 6.7 months or more.
All 13 people convicted were enlisted members. 7 of them (54%) received a punitive discharge, all bad-conduct discharges, and none received a dishonorable discharge. 2 of the 13 convictions (15%) were at a general court-martial.
For comparison, all courts-martial for this offense in the data had 1,071 convictions, with a median confinement of 3 months. The Whiteman AFB median was higher than that figure.
Different Cases, Different Years
Whiteman AFB is located in the federal Western District of Missouri, and the match was made by county. The 40 federal sentences are drawn from the full district, not from the installation, and most did not involve service members.
The court-martial side counts 13 Air Force convictions where the records list the trial location as "Whiteman AFB, Missouri," tried from 2016 to 2024. Court-martial years follow the trial date. The federal side covers fiscal years 2016 to 2025, which begin October 1 and end September 30.
Federal law has no offense of wrongful drug use. Simple possession is the nearest federal charge, so these are related offenses, not the same offense.
Contested Cases Were Common at Whiteman AFB
A plea was recorded for 7 of the Whiteman AFB convictions, and only 2 of those 7 were guilty pleas. The median confinement after a guilty plea was 0.5 months, across 2 cases with confinement.
Contested cases that ended in conviction had a median confinement of 7.4 months, across 4 cases with confinement. Both counts are very small.
In federal court, 35 of the 40 people (88%) pleaded guilty, and 5 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term after a guilty plea was 47 months. After a trial it was 156 months, based on 5 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. Among the guilty pleas, 37% had a written plea agreement and 63% were straight pleas with no agreement.
Guideline Range and Other Federal Orders
Guideline information was available for 38 of the federal sentences. 23 (61%) were within the guideline range. 7 (18%) were above it, 6 (16%) were below it without a government request, and 2 (5%) were below it at the government's request.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 12 people (31%). Supervised release after prison was ordered for 34 (85%), with a median term of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 10 (25%), and restitution for 0.
Whiteman AFB Trials by Period
Trials at Whiteman AFB from 2016 to 2019 had a median confinement of 5.9 months, across 9 cases with confinement. Trials from 2020 to 2025 had a median of 0.7 months, across 3 cases. The later group is very small, and a median from 3 cases does not show a trend.
Limits of These Records
Court-martial confinement here is as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal, and federal prison terms are as imposed, not as served. Neither source shows the drug, the amount, or the conduct involved.
These records cannot show how a Whiteman AFB case would have been handled in the district court. With 13 and 40 cases, each sentence carries weight in every figure above.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 whose recorded trial location is Whiteman AFB, Missouri, ending in a conviction for wrongful drug use (Article 112a), compared with federal simple possession, the nearest federal charge (13). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in the Western District of Missouri (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Missouri West") under a conviction under 21 U.S.C. 844 (simple possession), the nearest federal charge (40). 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 Missouri, 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.