> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fort Irwin Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-irwin-before-after-2024/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:26.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:26.000Z - Description: Domestic violence was the most common charge in the 19 courts-martial at Fort Irwin in 2024–2026. Article 128b was charged in 58% of cases, compared with 25% across the Army. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Fort Irwin, Army [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Fort Irwin](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-irwin/) › Before and after 2024 **Short answer:** Domestic violence was the most common charge in the 19 courts-martial at Fort Irwin in 2024–2026\. Article 128b was charged in 58% of cases, compared with 25% across the Army. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 64% in 2020–2023 to 81%, higher than the 73% Army-wide. Based on 19 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Article 128b in 11 of 19 Cases Every one of the 19 Fort Irwin records from 2024 to 2026 lists the charges. Article 128b, the domestic violence article, was charged in 11 cases (58%). Across the Army in the same years, the share was 25%. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 4 cases (21%), about the same as the 20% Army-wide. Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) and Article 134 (the general article) each appeared in 3 cases (16%). The Article 90 share was higher than the 6% across the Army. Article 121 (larceny), Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation), Article 109 (property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction), and Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) each appeared in 2 cases (11%). A case is counted once under each article it charges. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Army-wide | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ---------------- | | [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence | 11 | 58% | 25% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 4 | 21% | 20% | | [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer | 3 | 16% | 6% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 3 | 16% | 21% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 2 | 11% | 7% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 11% | 10% | | Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction | 2 | 11% | 1% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 11% | 11% | ## Punitive Discharges for 13 of 16 Enlisted Members Of 16 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a punitive discharge: 9 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The share was 81%, compared with 64% at Fort Irwin in 2020–2023 and 73% across the Army. 1 convicted officer or warrant officer appears in the records, and no dismissal was adjudged. A punitive discharge is part of the court-martial sentence. A member who did not receive one can still be separated administratively. ## Most Accused Pleaded Guilty Of the 19 recorded pleas, 14 were guilty pleas and 5 were not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 26%. It was 42% at Fort Irwin in 2020–2023 and 21% across the Army in 2024–2026. Army records show whether a guilty plea came with a plea agreement, but not the terms. Of the 14 guilty pleas, 13 are recorded with an agreement, and 1 has no entry. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 of 5 ended in a full acquittal, compared with 2 of 7 in 2020–2023. ## Sentences After Conviction There were 17 convictions on at least one charge, and 15 of those sentences included confinement (88%). The share was also 88% in 2020–2023\. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 9 months in the earlier period and 6 months across the Army. A quarter of the terms with confinement were 1.5 years or longer. All sentences are as adjudged at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal may reduce them, and each sentence covers every charge in its case. | | 2020–2023 | 2024–2026 | | ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- | | Cases | 19 | 19 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 42% | 26% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 7 | 2 of 5 | | Convictions with confinement | 88% | 88% | | Median confinement | 9 months | 8 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 64% | 81% | | General courts-martial | 58% | 47% | ## Judge-Alone Trials and Court Level A military judge alone decided guilt in 16 of 18 cases with the forum listed (89%). Members heard 2: 1 enlisted panel and 1 officer panel. The accused usually decides whether a judge alone or a panel of members hears the case. General courts-martial heard 9 of the 19 cases (47%), compared with 58% in 2020–2023\. Special courts-martial heard the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Rank of the Accused The accused were 12 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 6 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. Across the Army, junior enlisted members were 53% of the accused, so the Fort Irwin group was more junior. ## Case Counts and Similar Installations From January 2024 to September 2026, Fort Irwin had 5 cases in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 7 in 2026, which is a partial year. There were also 19 cases in 2020–2023\. Counting full years only, that is about 5 a year earlier and about 6 a year since. Small groups can change by a large percentage when a few cases differ. Fort Leavenworth (20 cases) and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston (21 cases) had similar counts. Fort Leavenworth also had an 81% punitive discharge rate, with a median confinement of 1.2 years. Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston had a 41% rate and a 4 months median. | Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | | --------------------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- | | Fort Irwin | 19 | 26% | 2 of 5 | 8 months | 81% | | Fort Leavenworth | 20 | 35% | 1 of 7 | 1.2 years | 81% | | Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston | 21 | 5% | 0 of 1 | 4 months | 41% | ## Rule Changes in Effect Domestic violence is one of the covered offenses. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute those offenses, which also include sexual assault and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records list trial dates and not offense dates. They cannot show which of these cases fell under the new rules, or whether the rules affected any number on this page. ## Limits of the Records Only cases that reached a court-martial are counted. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Every court-martial tried at Fort Irwin in 2020–2023 (19) and 2024–2026 (19). Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Fort Irwin: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-irwin/) (hub) - [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub) - [Inside 19 Courts-Martial at Fort Irwin, 2020–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-irwin-courts-martial-2020-2023/) - [Fort Irwin Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 19 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-irwin-courts-martial-2024-2026/) - [Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-before-after-2024/) - [Fort Benning, 2021–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-before-after-2024/) - [Fort Bliss, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-before-after-2024/) - [Fort Bragg, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-before-after-2024/) - [Fort Campbell Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-campbell-before-after-2024/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Irwin, 2024–2026 - [Larry A. Babin Jr.](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-larry-a-babin-jr/) - [Jessica Conn](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jessica-conn/) - [Joseph R. Distaso](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joseph-r-distaso/) - [Matthew S. Fitzgerald](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-s-fitzgerald/) - [Anne C. Hsieh](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-anne-c-hsieh/) - [Daniel L. Mazzone](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-daniel-l-mazzone/) - [Robert E. Murdough](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-robert-e-murdough/) - [Scott A. Oravec](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-scott-a-oravec/) 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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.