Fort Campbell Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed

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

Based on 87 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Median Confinement Increased to 1 Year

The largest change at Fort Campbell between the periods is in sentence length. In 2020–2023, the median confinement was 3 months. In 2024–2026, it was 1 year. The share of convictions that included confinement increased from 72% to 89%.

The 2024–2026 sentences were also longer than in the rest of the Army. Of 81 convictions, 72 carried confinement. The median was 1 year, compared with 6 months Army-wide. A quarter of sentences were 2 years or more. Sentences above one year were imposed in 32 of 81 convictions (40%), compared with 30%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in each case.

2020–2023 Compared With 2024–2026

The 2020–2023 period had 99 cases over 4 years, about 25 a year. Since 2024, the rate is about 29 a year, counting full years only. The contested share (cases in which the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge) fell from 20% to 14%.

Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 8 of 18 to 4 of 12. The enlisted punitive discharge share increased from 83% to 88%. The general court-martial share was about the same: 79% before and 78% after. These groups are small, so a few cases can change these rates.

Punitive Discharges in Most Cases

Of convicted enlisted members, 88% received a punitive discharge: 56 bad-conduct and 11 dishonorable. The Army-wide share was 73%. Among 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. These records do not show administrative separations.

Few Cases Were Contested

Of the 87 accused, 75 pleaded guilty and 12 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 14%, compared with 21% Army-wide. Plea agreements are recorded in 72 of the 75 guilty pleas, and 3 have no entry. Army records note whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Pleas varied by charge. Cases charging Article 134 (general article) ended in a guilty plea 94% of the time (17 of 18), while cases charging Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) did so 82% of the time (9 of 11). The records do not explain why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.

Child Sexual Abuse Charged More Often Than Army-Wide

Charge lists cover 85 of the 87 cases, with each article counted once per case. Article 120b was charged in 13% of cases, compared with 8% across the Army. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 24% of cases compared with 20%. Article 128b (domestic violence) was next at 22%, slightly lower than the 25% Army-wide. Article 134 was charged in 21% of cases, the same as the Army.

Sentences by Charge

All 20 cases charging Article 128 ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement after that conviction was 1.3 years. Article 128b led to a conviction in 18 of 19 cases, with a median of 7 months. Article 134 led to a conviction in 17 of 18, with a median of 1.7 years. Article 120b had the lowest conviction rate among the top charges, 10 of 11, and the longest median, 4.9 years. A single case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.

Contested Verdicts and the Forum

Of the 12 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (33%), lower than the 40% across the Army. Another 7 (58%) were partial acquittals, with a not-guilty finding on at least one charge or specification and a guilty finding on another. Army results list findings charge by charge, which makes partial acquittals common.

The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A judge alone decided 83 of 87 cases (95%). Members heard 4: 1 enlisted panel and 3 officer panels. Among contested cases, members heard 4 of 12 (33%). Since most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, the split follows how often cases were contested.

Court Level, Rank, and Peers

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Of the 87 cases, 68 (78%) were general courts-martial, compared with 68% in the rest of the Army. Those general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1.3 years, and 16% were contested. The 19 special courts-martial had a median of 4 months and were 5% contested. The accused included 65 junior enlisted members, 16 NCOs, and 6 officers, a more junior group than the rest of the Army.

Fort Bragg (85 cases) and Fort Bliss (84 cases) tried a similar number. Fort Campbell had the longest median confinement of the 3: 1 year, compared with 8 months and 6 months. It also had the highest punitive discharge share: 88%, compared with 74% and 71%.

Timing and the Limits of the Records

The data counts 27 cases in 2024, 31 in 2025, and 29 in 2026 through October, a partial year. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel have decided 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 longer sentences came in the same period. The records have no offense dates, so the data cannot sort cases by rule or show whether the changes played any part.

The evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, and administrative separations are also absent.

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.