Article 128b at Fort Hood Before and After 2024

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Based on 31 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

26 of 31 Cases Ended in Guilty Pleas

Of the 31 domestic violence cases at Fort Hood in 2024–2026, 26 ended in a guilty plea and 5 were contested. A case counts as contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either outright or through a mixed plea.

Across the Army, 24% of Article 128b cases were contested, so Fort Hood's 16% was lower. Each of the 26 guilty pleas has a plea agreement on record. The records show only that an agreement existed. They do not show its terms.

What Happened in the Few Contested Cases?

Of the 5 contested cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal. In 2022–2023, the comparable figure was 1 of 3. With numbers this small, a single verdict changes either figure. Neither figure shows how contested domestic violence cases usually end at this installation.

A military judge alone decided guilt in 27 of the 31 cases (87%), and members heard 4, all on enlisted panels. The accused usually chooses the forum, and since most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, the split largely follows the low number of contested cases.

2022–2023 Compared With 2024–2026

The 2024–2026 cases were 22% of all 138 courts-martial at Fort Hood in those years. Counting full years only, there were about 12 a year, compared with about 8 a year in 2022–2023, the 2 earlier years with cases on record. The yearly counts were 18 in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 8 in 2026, a partial year.

Most measures changed little. The contested share went from 18% to 16%. The share of convictions with confinement went from 75% to 83%. The median confinement went from 4 months to 5 months. The enlisted punitive discharge share went from 69% to 72%. The larger change was in court level: the general court-martial share increased from 41% to 58%. These groups are small, so a few cases can change these figures.

Confinement by Court Level

The Army median for this offense was 5 months, and Fort Hood's median was the same. Of the 29 convictions, 83% carried confinement, and a quarter of those terms were 1.5 years or longer. These are sentences as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

Sentences differed by court level. The median confinement was 1 year at the 18 general courts-martial and 53 days at the 13 special courts-martial. General courts-martial were also contested more often: 22% compared with 8%. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

Long Sentences About as Common as Army-Wide

Sentences longer than one year were imposed in 6 of 29 convictions (21%), the same share as Army Article 128b cases overall. No conviction here carried 5 years or more, compared with 4% across the rest of the Army. Sentences with no confinement made up 17% of convictions, compared with 15% in the rest of the Army.

Discharges and Dismissals

Among 25 convicted enlisted members, 18 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (72%), the same share as Army Article 128b cases overall. Only 1 of those 18 was a dishonorable discharge.

Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. It was imposed on 3 of the 4 convicted officers or warrant officers. Administrative separation can still follow a sentence that has no punitive discharge.

A More Senior Group of Accused

The accused included 15 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 12 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 officers or warrant officers. That group is more senior than in Army Article 128b cases overall, where 53% were junior enlisted. General courts-martial made up 58% of cases, compared with 64% Army-wide.

Charges That Came With Domestic Violence

In 18 of the 31 cases, no other article was charged with Article 128b, compared with 169 of 306 such cases Army-wide. Other charges appeared in few cases. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 3. Article 115 (communicating threats), Article 134 (general article), Article 119b (child endangerment), and Article 131b (obstruction) were charged in 2 each.

The Law Behind These Trials

Article 128b only covers offenses on or after January 1, 2019, so earlier conduct of this kind was charged under other articles. It is also a covered offense: since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute it.

In addition, when every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give. Trials from 2024 on include cases under both the old and the new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected the figures above.

The records also omit the evidence, the plea terms, and any conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128b on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: 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.