A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Carson: 2022
Fort Carson held 23 courts-martial in 2022. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months across the Army, and 9 of 21 convictions (43%) carried more than one year. Child sexual abuse charges under Article 120b appeared in 27% of cases, compared with 8% Army-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Fort Carson › 2022
Short answer: Fort Carson held 23 courts-martial in 2022. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months across the Army, and 9 of 21 convictions (43%) carried more than one year. Child sexual abuse charges under Article 120b appeared in 27% of cases, compared with 8% Army-wide.
Long Sentences Were More Common
Of the 21 convictions, 9 included confinement longer than one year (43%). Across the Army in 2022, the share was 27%. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 4 convictions (19%), compared with 7% Army-wide.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year. Fort Carson tried 18 general courts-martial and 4 special courts-martial in 2022, and 1 case does not list the court level. The general share was 82%, compared with 75% across the Army.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 14% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 8 | 38% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 24% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 19% | 7% |
Median Confinement of 1 Year
Confinement was part of 86% of the 21 convictions. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Army. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 4.5 years or longer.
Shorter terms still made up a large share. Sentences under 6 months were 8 of the 21 convictions (38%), and 3 convictions (14%) had no confinement. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Sexual Offense Charges
Of the 23 records, 22 list the charges. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 6 cases (27%), compared with 8% for all Army cases in 2022. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) also appeared in 6 cases (27%), about the same as the 26% Army-wide.
Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 18% of cases, compared with 13%. AWOL under Article 86 appeared in 3 cases (14%), compared with 4%. Domestic violence under Article 128b appeared in 14%, compared with 13%. Desertion under Article 85 and obstructing justice under Article 131b each appeared in 2 cases (9%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 6 | 27% | 8% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 27% | 26% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 18% | 13% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 14% | 4% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 14% | 13% |
| Art. 85 Desertion | 2 | 9% | 2% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 9% | 8% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 9% | 5% |
Punitive Discharges for 19 of 21 Enlisted Members
Of 21 convicted enlisted members, 19 received a punitive discharge: 10 bad-conduct discharges and 9 dishonorable discharges. The share was 90%, compared with 76% across the Army.
A dishonorable discharge is available only at a general court-martial. A sentence with no punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Guilty Pleas and Plea Agreements
In 17 cases the accused pleaded guilty, and 6 cases were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 26%, lower than the 36% Army-wide.
All 17 guilty pleas are recorded with a plea agreement (17 of 17). Army records say whether there was an agreement but not its terms. Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal.
Few Cases Went to Members
A military judge alone decided guilt in 18 of the 22 cases with the forum listed (82%). Members heard 4: 3 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt.
From 2021 to 2022
Fort Carson had 30 cases in 2021 and 23 in 2022. The median confinement went from 9 months to 1 year. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 86% to 90%. The contested share went from 20% to 26%, and full acquittals went from 1 of 6 to 2 of 6.
Convictions with confinement went from 93% to 86%, and the general court-martial share went from 83% to 82%. In groups this small, a few cases can move each figure.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 30 | 23 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 20% | 26% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 6 | 2 of 6 |
| Convictions with confinement | 93% | 86% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 86% | 90% |
| General courts-martial | 83% | 82% |
Fort Stewart and Camp Humphreys
Fort Stewart (22 cases) and Camp Humphreys (26 cases) tried a similar number of cases in 2022. Their median confinement was 11 months and 4 months. Their punitive discharge shares for enlisted members were 80% and 40%, both lower than Fort Carson's 90%.
Both peers had more contested cases: 59% at Fort Stewart and 54% at Camp Humphreys. Full acquittals came in 6 of 13 contested cases at Fort Stewart and 5 of 14 at Camp Humphreys.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Carson | 23 | 26% | 2 of 6 | 1 year | 90% |
| Fort Stewart | 22 | 59% | 6 of 13 | 11 months | 80% |
| Camp Humphreys | 26 | 54% | 5 of 14 | 4 months | 40% |
Rank and What the Records Omit
The accused were 16 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), with 0 officers or warrant officers. That group is more junior than the Army as a whole, where 57% were junior enlisted.
These records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or cases with no action. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Fort Carson with a trial date in 2022 (23 cases).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Fort Carson: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Carson: 2021 (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Carson: 2023 (previous / next)
- Inside 76 Courts-Martial at Fort Carson, 2020–2023 (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2024
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2025
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2022
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2023
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Carson, 2022
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
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.