What Fort Hood Tried in 2025

Trends › By Installation › Fort Hood › 2025

Based on 48 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Long Sentences and Sentences Without Confinement

Of 43 convictions, 27 included confinement (63%). Among those, the median was 2.5 years. A quarter were 10 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.

23% of convictions included 5 years or more, compared with 11% in the rest of the Army. 37% of convictions included no confinement, compared with 19%. Only 12% included under 6 months, compared with 36%. 17 of 43 convictions (40%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 30%.

These are adjudged sentences. They were set at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in a case. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement.

Sentences by Court Level

General courts-martial made up 79% of cases (38 of 48), compared with 66% in the Army as a whole. At general courts-martial, 71% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 3 years. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. At the 10 special courts-martial, only 3 of 9 convictions included confinement, with a median of 31 days.

Changes From 2024

In 2024, the median confinement at Fort Hood was 4 months. In 2025, it was 2.5 years. Punitive discharges went from 72% to 82%. Convictions with confinement went from 77% to 63%. The general court-martial share went from 80% to 79%.

Cases went from 56 to 48. The contested share went from 27% to 19%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 6 of 12 to 2 of 7. Small groups can change with a few cases, so these changes show direction, not precise size.

Attempts, Drunken Driving, and Domestic Violence

Charges are listed for 45 of the 48 cases. One case can appear under several articles. Article 80 (attempt) was charged in 13% of cases, compared with 7% across the Army. Article 113 (drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle) was charged in 7%, compared with 2%.

Domestic violence (Article 128b) was charged less often: 11% of cases, compared with 26% Army-wide. The general article, Article 134, was charged in 22% of cases and assault (Article 128) in 18%, both about the same as Army rates. Sexual assault (Article 120) was charged in 13% of cases and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) in 11%.

Convictions on the Top Charges

9 of 10 Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article (90%), with a median confinement of 2 years. 7 of 8 assault cases ended in a conviction on Article 128, with a median of 8 months. A conviction on one article and an acquittal on another can occur in the same case, so these rows overlap.

Most Cases Ended in a Guilty Plea

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Here, 39 accused pleaded guilty and 9 cases were contested. The contested share was 19%, about the same as 20% across the Army. Plea agreements are recorded for 38 of the 39 guilty pleas, and 1 has no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 42 of 48 cases (88%), and members heard 6: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel.

Discharges and Dismissals

Of 38 convicted enlisted members, 31 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (82%), compared with 73% Army-wide. 10 of those were dishonorable. Among 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation.

The accused included 27 junior enlisted soldiers (E-1 to E-4), 16 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. The rest of the Army had 50% junior enlisted.

Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg

Fort Campbell had 31 cases. 13% were contested, 2 of 4 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, the median confinement was 1.4 years, and the punitive discharge rate was 93%. Fort Bragg had 29 cases. 28% were contested, 4 of 8 ended in a full acquittal, the median was 8 months, and the punitive discharge rate was 70%. Fort Hood had the highest median confinement of the group.

Law Changes and Missing Facts

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new parameters. Offense dates are not in these records, so 2025 trials include cases under both the old and new rules. The data cannot show whether either change affected the sentences here. The records also omit evidence, plea terms, and 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.