Fort Bliss, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look

Trends › By Installation › Fort Bliss › Before and after 2024

Based on 84 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Far Fewer Contested Cases Since 2024

The largest change at Fort Bliss between 2020–2023 and 2024–2026 is in the contested share. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In the earlier period, 32% of cases with a recorded plea were contested. Since 2024 the share is 12%: 74 guilty pleas and 10 contested cases. In the rest of the Army, it was 21%.

70 of the 74 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement, and 4 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it contained.

Comparing the 2 Periods

The earlier period had 102 cases, about 26 a year. Since 2024 the base has averaged about 34 a year, counting full years only. The share of convictions with any confinement went from 92% to 76%. The median confinement went from 8 months to 6 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 80% to 71%. General courts-martial went from 72% of cases to 65%.

Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 10 of 31 to 3 of 10. In groups this size a few cases can change these figures, so they show direction, not precise rates.

The dividing year is the same year new rules began. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and cannot show whether the rules caused any of these changes.

Verdicts in Contested Cases

3 of the 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. 5 ended in a partial acquittal, with a not-guilty finding on at least one charge and a conviction on another. The 30% full-acquittal rate was lower than the 40% in the rest of the Army. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals appear often.

Panels of members heard 9 of the 10 contested cases (90%). Across all cases with a recorded forum, a judge alone decided 74 of 84 (88%). Members heard 10: 9 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.

Which Charges Were Brought?

81 of the 84 records list charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 81 (conspiracy) was charged in 9% of cases, compared with 2% across the Army. Article 112a (drug offenses) was charged in 11%, compared with 5%. Article 128b (domestic violence) was less common: 17% compared with 25%. Article 134 (the general article) was also less common: 16% compared with 21%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, at 22% compared with 20%.

Pleas and Outcomes by Charge

Outcomes differed by article. All 13 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, and all 13 were guilty pleas. 71% of Article 128b cases ended in a guilty plea (10 of 14). 12 of the 14 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 1.7 years for that conviction. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.

Confinement and Discharges

Of 78 convictions, 59 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the 6 months for the rest of the Army. A quarter of the sentences were 3 years or longer. 24% of convictions here included no confinement, compared with 15% across the Army. Sentences longer than one year were less common: 21 of 78 (27%), compared with 30%.

Of 77 convicted enlisted members, 55 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (71%), about the same as across the Army (73%). 24 of those were dishonorable discharges. The records include 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, and 1 was dismissed. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal.

Court Level and Rank

The 54 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1.3 years, and 15% were contested. The 29 special courts-martial had a median of 3 months, and 3% were contested. The general court-martial share of 65% compares with 69% in the rest of the Army.

59 accused were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 23 were NCOs, and 2 were officers or warrant officers. This group was more junior than across the Army, where 53% were junior enlisted.

Compared With Fort Bragg and Fort Campbell

Fort Bragg (85 cases) and Fort Campbell (87 cases) tried a similar number of Army cases in these years. Fort Bliss had the lowest contested share of the 3, 12%, compared with 25% and 14%. It also had the shortest median confinement, 6 months, compared with 8 months and 1 year. Its punitive discharge rate of 71% was lower than both (74% and 88%).

Cases by Year and Limits

The data includes 40 cases in 2024, 27 in 2025, and 17 in 2026, a partial year through September. Only cases that went to a court-martial are included. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not, and the records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.