Fort Bliss, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 102 Cases

Trends › By Installation › Fort Bliss › 2020–2023

Based on 102 cases · 2020–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Almost Every Sentence Included Confinement

Of the 102 cases, 86 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 79 of those sentences included confinement (92%). Only 8% of convictions included no confinement, compared with 17% across the Army.

The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the 6-month median in all Army cases in those years. A quarter of the sentences were 1.7 years or longer. Terms of more than one year were part of 26 of 86 convictions (30%), compared with 27% in the rest of the Army. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.

Which Charges Were Brought?

Charge lists exist for 96 of the 102 cases, and a case with several articles is counted under each. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 36 cases (38%), compared with 31% across the Army.

Drug and domestic violence charges were more common than across the Army. Article 112a was charged in 21% of cases, compared with 11%. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 20%, compared with 13%. Article 120 (sexual assault) was less common: 17% compared with 25%. Article 134 (general article) was also less common: 15% compared with 22%.

Outcomes for the Most Common Charges

19 of 20 drug cases ended in a conviction on the drug article (95%). 17 of 20 ended in a guilty plea (85%), the highest guilty-plea rate of the most common charges. 18 of 19 domestic violence cases ended in a conviction on that article (95%). Their median confinement of 1 year was the longest of the most common charges.

Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) had the lowest conviction rate on its own article: 15 of 18 (83%). 31 of 36 assault cases ended in a conviction on that article (86%), with a median of 9 months. 26 of 36 assault cases ended in a guilty plea (72%). These rows overlap. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.

Pleas, Agreements, and Verdicts

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 101 records with a plea, 32 were contested and 69 were guilty pleas. The contested share was 32%, compared with 35% in the rest of the Army. Of the 69 guilty pleas, 62 are recorded with a plea agreement and 7 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it said.

Of 31 contested cases that reached a verdict, 10 ended in a full acquittal (32%). That was lower than the 37% in the rest of the Army. Another 13 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals appear often in Army data.

Panels and Military Judges

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone heard 86 cases, enlisted panels heard 15, and an officer panel heard 1. Members heard 16% of cases, compared with 21% across the Army. Members heard 16 of 32 contested cases (50%).

40% of contested cases decided by members ended in a full acquittal (6 of 15). 25% of contested cases decided by a judge alone did (4 of 16). These are small numbers, and the records do not show the evidence in any case.

Punitive Discharges After Conviction

For enlisted soldiers, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 80% of convicted enlisted soldiers at Fort Bliss received one: 43 bad-conduct discharges and 24 dishonorable discharges. Across all Army cases in those years, the rate was 73%.

Both of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

General Courts-Martial and Rank

Fort Bliss held 73 general and 29 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 72%, compared with 75% across the Army. General courts-martial had a median confinement of 1 year, and 40% were contested. Special courts-martial cap confinement at one year. They had a median of 4 months, and 10% were contested.

The accused were 70 junior enlisted soldiers, 26 NCOs, and 6 officers. This group was more junior than the Army as a whole.

Compared With Fort Campbell and Fort Carson

Fort Campbell tried 99 cases in the same years, and Fort Carson tried 76. Fort Campbell had a lower contested share, 20%, and a median confinement of 3 months. Fort Carson had a contested share of 29% and a median confinement of 7 months.

At Fort Campbell, 8 of 18 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. At Fort Carson, 6 of 22 did. The punitive discharge rates were 83% and 89%, both higher than the 80% at Fort Bliss.

Cases by Year and What Is Missing

Fort Bliss tried 6 cases in 2020, 30 in 2021, 37 in 2022, and 29 in 2023. That is 6% of the 1,581 Army courts-martial in those years. 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, so there are few 2020 cases. The records do not include the evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

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.