Article 112a Cases at Fort Bliss, 2021–2023: 20 Courts-Martial

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Based on 20 cases · 2021–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

All Accused Were Junior Enlisted Soldiers

Junior enlisted members, ranks E-1 to E-4, made up 100% of the accused. NCOs and officers made up 0%. In Army drug cases as a whole, junior enlisted members were 76%. Every sentence, discharge, and plea figure on this page describes the most junior ranks.

Drug cases were 21% of the 96 courts-martial at Fort Bliss in 2021–2023. The data includes them from April 2021 to August 2023: 7 in 2021, 8 in 2022, and 5 in 2023.

Longer Terms Than Elsewhere in the Army

Confinement was part of 95% of the 20 convictions. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with an Army median of 5 months for drug cases. A quarter of terms were 1 year or longer.

Sentences were longer than across the Army at each level. Only 1 conviction (5%) included no confinement, compared with 10% across the Army. 30% of terms were under 6 months, compared with 48%. The largest group, 45%, was between 6 months and 1 year, compared with 25%. Sentences longer than one year were more common: 4 of 20 (20%) compared with 17%. 10% were 5 years or more, compared with 5%.

These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

An Even Split Between Court Levels

General and special courts-martial each tried 10 cases. The general court-martial share was 50%, the same as in Army drug cases overall. In general courts-martial, 100% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1 year. In special courts-martial, 90% did, with a median of 5 months.

A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, and only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.

Drug Charges Were Usually Combined With Others

Article 112a was the only charge in 4 of the 20 cases. Across all Army drug cases in those years, it was the only charge in 49 of 164. At Fort Bliss, the most common other charges were Article 81 conspiracy and Article 90 disobeying an officer, each in 6 cases. Article 92 orders violations and Article 134, the general article, were each in 5. Article 128 assault was in 4.

A sentence covers every finding, so the terms here cover the whole set of convictions, not drug use alone. The records do not split a sentence by charge.

Pleas and Plea Agreements

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Fort Bliss, 17 accused pleaded guilty and 3 contested. The contested share of 15% was about the same as the 16% across the Army.

Of the 17 guilty pleas, 16 are recorded with a plea agreement, and 1 has no entry. Army records note whether an agreement existed but not its terms, so they cannot show what sentence limits any agreement set.

Punitive Discharges

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 85% of convicted enlisted members here received one: 11 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. In Army drug cases overall, the rate was 80%.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which is not in these records. Either court level can adjudge a bad-conduct discharge, but only a general court-martial can adjudge a dishonorable discharge.

Only 1 Panel

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 19 cases, and an enlisted panel decided 1. There were no officer panels. Members heard 5% of cases, compared with 9% in all Army drug cases. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the forum figures are consistent with the plea figures.

What the Data Does Not Include

The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and Army records in this data are sparse before 2021. The records show only cases that went to a court-martial.

Drug cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence, such as test results, or the terms of any plea agreement.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025

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.